The 2025 UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships kicked off this Thursday, October 16, in Rio de Janeiro, with world records broken, historic achievements for women, and a gold medal for Brazil. On a day marked by a high level of competition, Sabrina Custódia da Silva stole the spotlight by winning the 1km Time Trial in the C2 category, recording the fastest time in the history of the event: 1:20.020.

 

“The time has come — and it wasn’t just the world title, it came with the world record too! It’s too much emotion for one day. I trained so hard this year, I prepared so much to get here. Even though I knew I was ready, it still hasn’t sunk in,” celebrated the 44-year-old Brazilian cyclist, who had won silver in the Time Trial at last year’s World Championships, also held at the Rio Velodrome.

 

Sabrina lives in São José dos Campos, in the interior of São Paulo, but trains in the neighboring city of Indaiatuba. In addition to her dedication on the track, another key factor in her achievement was the acquisition of new equipment by the Brazilian Cycling Confederation (CBC). Her life story is marked by a serious accident at age 18, when she suffered an electric shock while adjusting a television antenna at home. After spending three months in the hospital, she had to undergo amputations of both hands, her right foot, and the toes of her left foot.

 

Paralympic sport entered her life shortly afterward, though she initially pursued a career in athletics. During the pandemic, she was introduced to cycling by athlete Adriano Matunaga and began riding two-wheeled bikes. Now, Sabrina becomes the fourth Brazilian woman ever to win a Para-Cycling Track World Championship and the first Brazilian to set a world record in the sport.

 

However, the first day of competition wasn’t just historic for Sabrina. One of the most anticipated events was the 1km Time Trial in the WC5 category, which includes athletes with impairments to upper or lower limbs, but who ride standard bicycles. Although New Zealander Nicole Murray was the main favorite, it was Italy’s Claudia Cretti who stole the show from the early rounds. In her first lap, the 29-year-old cyclist broke the world record with a time of 1:12.325. In the final, she did even better: 1:12.028, finishing over 1.6 seconds ahead of runner-up Murray.

 

“It’s my first world title — I’m overwhelmed with emotion. I did a great job in Montichiari to be ready for this 1km race. It’s my seventh medal (at World Championships), but my first gold,” said Claudia, who had reached the podium three times at each of the last two editions.

 

Claudia was a road cyclist when she suffered a serious crash during the 2017 Giro Rosa. The Italian was in a coma but recovered and, two years later, decided to return to sports — this time in para-cycling.

 

While the Italian finally claimed her long-awaited gold medal, the Rio de Janeiro World Championships also saw France’s Alexandre Léauté win his 14th world title. The three-time Paralympic champion triumphed in the Scratch Race in the MC2 category. With a bold strategy, pacing himself at times and breaking away from the pack at others, Léauté dominated the event and lapped every competitor except Dutch rider Hidde Buur.

 

“I’m really happy to have won today. It was a tough race — the other riders were watching me closely, and I knew it would be hard to break away. I think I executed a good tactical race, avoiding risks and trying to accelerate to get clear. At one point, I’m not sure what happened, but I took the opportunity to break away with the Dutch rider. Then, with about five or six laps to go, I pulled ahead to take the win,” explained the 25-year-old cyclist.

 

The Para-Cycling Track World Championships continue through Sunday (October 19), with morning and afternoon sessions. On Friday and Saturday, events start at 10 a.m., and on the final day, races begin at 9 a.m. Admission is free, and the public is invited to experience all the excitement of para-cycling at the Rio Olympic Velodrome (Avenida Embaixador Abelardo Bueno, 3401 – Barra da Tijuca).

 

 

Organized by the Brazilian Cycling Confederation (CBC) and TBA Sports Management, under the supervision of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the 2025 UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships are sponsored by the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB), Shimano, and the Federal Government through the Ministry of Sport. The event is also supported by Santini, the City of Rio de Janeiro, and the Rio de Janeiro State Cycling Federation (FECIERJ).