Canadian handcyclist Maarten Duif secured his inaugural world championship medal by clinching the silver in the men’s H1 road race held in Huntsville, Alabama. Duif, hailing from Carleton Place, Ontario, finished second, with the gold going to Italy’s Fabrizio Cornegliani, the reigning world champion who completed the 55.2-kilometre race in one hour and 59 minutes and 13 seconds, marking his 11th world medal. Patrik Jahoda from Czechia took home the bronze for the second consecutive year.
Expressing his feelings in a press release, Duif mentioned, “I didn’t anticipate the win at the beginning, but everything fell into place during the first lap. The competition was tough, and I gave it my all. Securing the silver is a tremendous honor, especially while representing Canada. I had set ambitious goals for this event, and achieving silver feels like a dream come true. The reality of it hasn’t fully sunk in yet, but it will soon.”
This medal marks Canada’s third at the 2026 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, which are set to conclude on Monday. Previously, Michael Sametz and Alexandre Hayward claimed silver and bronze, respectively, in the men’s C3 individual time trial event on Saturday.
Duif, originally from Holland, had an impressive performance in the World Cup series leading up to the championships, where he garnered four medals in Gistel, Belgium, and Abruzzo, Italy. He secured two silvers in the road race and two bronzes in the time trial, showcasing his skill and determination in the sport.
Duif’s journey in handcycling began less than ten years ago when he purchased his first handcycle in 2018. Since then, he has dedicated long hours to training on the roads, steadily building his strength and endurance to reach this significant milestone in his career.
