Kiwi wins gold at Paralympics 

New Zealand cyclist Paula Tesoriero has won a gold medal in the women's cycling at the Beijing Paralympics on Monday afternoon.

Tesoriero won the 500m time trial in a world record time of 43:281 seconds and was less than a second ahead of the silver medallist Natalie Simanowski of Germany.

The Kiwi is classified as a LC3 athlete (locomotor disability) and competed in the LC3-4/CP3 (locomotor and cerebral palsy athletes) 500 metre time trial event.

Jayme Paris of Australia took the bronze in 46.427.

Paula Tesoriero has disabilities in both her legs - an artifical left leg as she is missing part of that leg and no ankle on her right leg. She uses a carbon leg while competing and relies on her thighs to power the bike.

Tesoriero has won two silver medals at the world cycling championships, and smashed the 500 metre time trial world record earlier this year.

The 500m is her favoured event but she is also competing in the 3000 metre pursuit, and the 25 kilometre road race.

LC3 means Locomotor (physical) disability level 3. LC3 athletes compete on bikes (not tandems or trikes as in other events) and other athletes in her event were classification LC4 and CP 4.
LC 3: For athletes with a disability on one lower limb, with or without upper limb disability. Most athletes pedal with one leg.
LC 4: For athletes with a more severe disability usually affecting both lower limbs, with or without upper limb disability.
Cerebral Palsy (CP) Division 4: is for athletes with the least severe disability.

---

---