Paralympics 2024

Thomas Frühwirth wins silver medal in Paris!

Thomas Frühwirth

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

The individual cycling time trial brought Austria's team its third medal at the Paralympic Games in Paris. Styrian Thomas Frühwirth won his fourth Paralympic silver medal overall in the H4 handbike class.

The 43-year-old was denied his first gold by Dutchman Jetze Plat after 28.3 km and a good 41 minutes by just 2.71 seconds. The previous ÖPC medals in Paris had been won by javelin thrower Natalja Eder and triathlete Florian Brungraber with bronze and silver.

Brungraber had already been beaten only by Plat in the triathlon, and not for the first time. Frühwirth divided his race excellently. He was a good 12 seconds behind the winner at the 5.8 km intermediate time, more than 18 seconds behind at the halfway point of the race, was second from then on and gradually caught up. However, it was not quite enough to catch the "Oranje". After winning bronze twice at the 2021 Games in Tokyo, 42-year-old Tyrolean Alexander Gritsch came away empty-handed in eighth place this time. His gap to third place was around 3:20 minutes.

"Hollywood course"
Experienced Frühwirth had invested everything in preparation to win his first Paralympic title. He put the finishing touches to his training in a four-week altitude training camp just before the Games. He described the course, with its flat sections and technical descents, as a "Hollywood course" on which he should be able to play to his strengths. Like Gritsch, he will have another chance to do so on Thursday in the road race scheduled for 16:00. His compatriots Swetlana Moshkovich and Cornelia Wibmer will also be in action.

After two track events, including fourth place in the pursuit, Franz-Josef Lässer once again failed to win a medal, but he held up well in fifth place in the C5 class. After 28.3 km, he was just under 27 seconds behind the third-placed athlete. Wolfgang Steinbichler finished sixth in the T2 class, a good one and a half minutes behind bronze. For 41-year-old Moshkovich, who won bronze in London 2012 as a Russian, it was eighth place in the H4 category, a good two minutes behind a medal after 14.1 km. Wibmer finished 13th.

Swimmer Janina Falk had another outing; the 21-year-old finished tenth in the 200 m medley in 2:37.70 minutes, 2.72 seconds short of a place in the final. Shooter Josef Pacher came 20th in the 50 m rifle in the SH2 category with 615.5 points.