Maarten Duif, a handcyclist from Canada, secured his first-ever world championship medal by winning silver in the men’s H1 road race on Sunday in Huntsville, Alabama.
The athlete from Carleton Place, Ontario, finished behind 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 medal. Patrik Jahoda from Czechia took home the bronze for the second consecutive year.
“At the start, I didn’t think I could do it, but everything fell into place during that first lap,” Duif stated in a press release. “There are some very strong competitors out here, and I tried to maximize my performance, ultimately achieving silver. It’s such an honor to wear the Canadian jersey.”
“I set ambitious goals for this event, and it’s a reality shock to walk away with silver. It hasn’t fully sunk in yet, but it will soon.”
This marks Canada’s third medal at the 2026 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, which will conclude on Monday. On Saturday, Michael Sametz and Alexandre Hayward earned silver and bronze, respectively, in the men’s C3 individual time trial.
Duif finished fifth in the men’s H1 time trial held on Friday.
Duif, originally from Holland, recently concluded a remarkable World Cup season where he led Canada with four medals across two events in Gistel, Belgium, and Abruzzo, Italy, achieving two silvers in the road race and two bronzes in the time trial.
His journey in handcycling started less than ten years ago. He bought his first handcycle in 2018 and began competing the following year, gradually building his strength and endurance through extensive training on the roads.