Allan Wins Bronze in Cycling

NSW Institute of Sport athlete Gordon Allan has finished on the podium at the 2024 Paralympic Games, winning a bronze medal in the men’s Team Sprint Open C1-5 as Australia wrapped up the final day of track cycling with a bronze medal in the sprint at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome, south west of Paris. 

It was the fifth medal for the Australian cyclists, who also claimed three gold and a silver medal to finish fourth on the velodrome medal table behind Great Britain (five gold, six silver and three bronze) ahead of China (three gold and three silver), with home nation France collecting three gold, two silver and two bronze. 

On Sunday the Australian trio of Gordon Allan (C2), Alistair Donohoe (C5) and Korey Boddington (C4) clocked 49.036 for the open C1-5 750m event downing France (49.961) in the head to head battle for bronze. 

“I knew it was going well after our qualifying ride and we were all on fire so we said we’ve just got to rip it and send it, and what will be, will be,” said Allan, for whom this is a first Paralympic medal. “We’ve just been getting quicker and quicker and quicker and this is such a great, great feeling.” 

The packed stadium was screaming for the home team but the Aussies had other ideas. 

“As we crossed the line the silence was really deafening and I sort of felt bad trying to salute to a crowd that was so disappointed and I had to really pick out the Aussies in the stands,” laughed Donohoe who, as an endurance specialist, admits he felt the pressure of delivering for his sprinter teammates. 

“I am so nervous for this event, because I know how fast these boys can go and being the enduro on the squad I’m like, ‘Can I hold on? Can I rip it? Can I deliver?’,” explained Donohoe, who rode second wheel behind Gordon. “I was lucky I managed to hang on to Gordo who has such a rapid start, and then I just got out the way for Korey to deliver the win.” 

It’s the second medal of the Games for Boddington, who opened the cycling team’s medal assault with gold in the C4-5 1000m time trial and was delighted to be racing in the team event. 

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“Gordo was so quick out of the gate. Man, his shadow was back in the corner,” Boddington said. “I was thinking, Al, you better get on cause he’s zooming. 

“Then we had the perfect crossover to change to Al and he was flying and then coming out of the corner. I don’t know what came over me, but I thought, I better stand up to come past him, because he was going so fast.” 

The trio was half a second faster than in their qualifying round but the Great Britain team in 47.738 was in a class of their own to claim gold ahead of Spain (49.564) in second place. 

Article courtesy of Paralympics Australia