Canada’s Mel Pemble claims bronze in omnium at Para track cycling worlds in Rio

Canada’s Mel Pemble won her second medal of the 2024 Para track cycling world championships in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, bagging bronze in the women’s C3 omnium.

The 23-year-old from Victoria accumulated 138 points in the four-race competition, finishing second in the non-medal 200-metre flying start (12.651 seconds) and sixth in the scratch race on Day 4 at the Rio Olympic Velodrome.

Pemble, a former Paralympic alpine skier, kicked off worlds with a silver medal in the 500m time trial on Wednesday before finishing sixth in Friday’s individual pursuit.

China’s Wang Xiaomei captured the omnium title with 160 points after prevailing in all four races, while Aniek van den Aarssen of the Netherlands took silver with 146. Wang also narrowly broke Pemble’s world record in the 200 flying start earlier in the day, clocking 12.506.

While Pemble entered as the two-time defending omnium champion, she told CBC Sports she has been focusing primarily on the 500 time trial during training, a Paralympic event, with her sights set on Paris.

She will compete in the team sprint on Sunday along with Alexandre Hayward of Quispamsis, N.B., and Calgary’s Kate O’Brien.

Pemble, who was born with cerebral palsy, competed at the 2018 Winter Paralympics before switching sports in 2020.

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