Maarten Duif, a handcyclist from Canada, secured his first world championship medal by finishing with a silver in the men’s H1 road race held on Sunday in Huntsville, Alabama.
The athlete from Carleton Place, Ontario, was only surpassed by Italy’s Fabrizio Cornegliani, the reigning world champion, who completed the 55.2-kilometre race in one hour and 59 minutes, marking his 11th world championship medal. Patrik Jahoda from Czechia took home the bronze for the second consecutive year.
“At the start, I didn’t believe I could achieve this, but everything fell into place during that first lap,” Duif stated in a press release. “There are very strong competitors here, and I aimed to give it my all, ultimately earning silver. Wearing the Canadian jersey is a tremendous honor.
“I set high goals for myself, and it is truly surprising to walk away with silver. The reality of it hasn’t fully sunk in yet, but I know it will.”
This achievement marks Canada’s third medal at the 2026 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, which wrap up on Monday. On Saturday, Michael Sametz and Alexandre Hayward earned silver and bronze, respectively, in the men’s C3 individual time trial.
Previously, Duif finished fifth in the men’s H1 time trial on Friday.
Originally from Holland, Duif recently concluded a remarkable World Cup season where he led the Canadian team with four medals across two events in Gistel, Belgium, and Abruzzo, Italy, clinching two silvers in the road race and two bronzes in the time trial.
Duif embarked on his handcycling journey less than ten years ago. He acquired his first handcycle in 2018 and began competing the following year, progressively building his strength and endurance through extensive training on the roads.
