Cycling Roundup: Clara Brown Discusses Tokyo Injury

Share:

by Alex Abrams

Every other week we scour the web for the latest going on in the world of U.S. Para-cycling. Here’s what you missed!

 

Clara Brown Reveals Nerve Injury Hampered Paralympic Debut

Clara Brown wasn’t sure what was going on with her right leg, but she believed some rest might help it improve at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

 

She was bothered so much by her leg injury she didn’t ride her bike in between races in Tokyo.

 

Brown told the Portland Press Herald in her native Maine that her Paralympic debut in August was hampered by a nerve condition in her right leg. It’s an injury she has dealt with in the past, leading to “a sharp, shooting pain all the way down” to her foot.

 

It’s one thing if you break an ankle. Then you know exactly what’s wrong,” Brown, a native of Falmouth, told the newspaper. “You know the recovery period. But with this weird nerve injury, I don’t understand what’s happening let alone how long it will take (to recover).”

 

Brown, a 2020 world champion, was hoping to earn several medals at her first Paralympics. However, her nerve condition flared up in Tokyo and she narrowly missed the medal podium in her three events.

 

Brown placed fourth in the track individual pursuit, fifth in the road time trial and sixth in the road race. She admitted to the Press Herald she likely wouldn’t have competed in the two road events in Tokyo had it not been the Paralympics.

 

“That’s kind of what this fall is, to recover physically and mentally and potentially figure out what’s going on medically with my nerve malfunctions,” Brown told the newspaper.



Oksana Masters Practices Her Rifle Shooting in Germany

Oksana Masters didn’t relax at home for too long after returning from the Tokyo Paralympics.

 

The multi-sport star is taking part in a training camp in Germany with several of her teammates on the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing national team. While there, she’s getting to train on snow inside a ski tunnel, where she can ski regardless of the temperatures outside.

 

Masters shared a short video of herself practicing her rifle shooting for the biathlon while in Germany. In the video, she aims at several targets before grabbing her ski poles, lifting herself onto her sit ski and moving across snow.



I love the places my skis take me. Chasing snow all the way to Germany and underground for our first training camp,” Masters wrote on Instagram. “151 until @beijing2022 Winter #Paralympic Games, but who’s counting……ME!!!

 

Masters has earned 10 Paralympic medals, including four golds (two in Para Nordic skiing and two in Para-cycling). She’ll attempt to following up her dominant performance in Tokyo by qualifying for the Beijing Winter Paralympics, which begin in March.

 

Samantha Bosco Provides Update on Her Health

Samantha Bosco admitted she has her good days and her bad days, but she has no doubts that she made improvements over the past three months.

 

Bosco, a two-time Paralympic bronze medalist, recently provided an update on her recovery from a serious bike accident in June that forced her to miss the Tokyo Paralympics. She was hospitalized with a skull fracture after the crash.

 

“It feels like it’s been longer than three months; some days I take steps forward, others a step back,” Bosco wrote on Instagram. “Still dealing with pain and all the emotions, and unsure of how long this road is. One thing I know for certain, though, is I’m better than I was three months ago and I’ll be stronger and even better because of this.” 



Travis Gaertner Shares Throwback Photo of His Athletic Self

Travis Gaertner has made two Paralympics as a wheelchair basketball player, and he just missed out on qualifying for his third Games as a cyclist.

 

As it turns out, he has some gymnastics skills as well.

 

Gaertner shared on Instagram a photograph of himself when he was younger. In the picture, he’s holding himself up while hanging off a street sign.

 

“I wonder if I could still do this??? Any bets?” Gaertner wrote. “It’s half a life time ago….”



Alex Abrams #

Alex Abrams has written about Olympic sports for more than 15 years, including as a reporter for major newspapers in Florida, Arkansas and Oklahoma. He is a freelance contributor to USParaCycling.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.

Read More#