Portuguese Cyclist Telmo Pinão Earns First Paralympic Diploma in Paris

Telmo Pinão, a Portuguese cyclist, secured the first diploma for Portugal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. He achieved this by finishing seventh in the C2 individual pursuit race, which saw two new Paralympic records set, including a new world record by French athlete Alexandre Leaute. Pinão, who is missing part of his left leg, completed the race in 3.59.150 minutes, while Leaute set a new world record of 3.24.298 minutes. Pinão expressed satisfaction with his performance but acknowledged that his strong start may have impacted his overall result. He explained that he pushed too hard initially, which led to a decline in performance later in the race. Pinão, competing in his third Paralympic Games, admitted that he might have achieved a personal best if he had paced himself differently. He compared the race to surfing, emphasizing the dynamic of accelerating on the straights and braking in the curves. Despite his performance, Pinão expressed concern about the current classification system, which he believes unfairly pits athletes with two legs against those with one.