– Because there are fewer medals available, they merge the classes. In the individual start, I will ride with the class above, which is H5. In common, I will drive with the classes below, 1 to 4. We come out a bit unlucky. We must not only compete for the same medals. But competing with the H5 in this race is not OK. Cyclist Suzanna Tangen met news in Paris before she herself went into action in the Paralympics city on Tuesday. And it wasn’t just joy connected to the competition. DOUBT: Tangen probably hopes to be able to cheer like this in the Paralympics, but thinks the possibility is small. Tangen is very frustrated with the way the classes are divided into the various competitions – which she believes is ruining her own medal chances. – It’s not fair, she said before the competition. She herself finished ninth in the time trial where she competed against the H5 class. Of the H4-classified, she was third best. So a bronze medal, if they had competed in their own class. – Of course it’s bitter. We want to see her compete in a class where it is fair, says coach Jason Dyck to news. – Klin impossible Tangen says those on the level above get twice as much power in each step, or as she says: – They probably push twice as many watts as us, they will fly up the slopes. It is much easier for them. In a way, that’s just the way it is, says Tangen about those who ride in the class above. These are the handcycle classes. Class H is for wheelchair users. Used by cyclists with paralysis in both legs or when they are missing both legs. Also applies if you have involuntary or uncoordinated movements. H1-4: Competitors in a supine position H5: Competitors in a kneeling position H1: tetraplegics (dysfunction or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the cervical spine) with severe upper limb impairment at the C6 vertebra H2: tetraplegics with minor impairment of upper limbs from C7 to T3 H3: paraplegics (an impairment of motor or sensory function of the lower limbs) with impairment from T4 to T10 H4: paraplegics with impairment from T11 and below, and amputees who cannot kneel H5: athletes who can kneel a handcycle, a category that includes paraplegics and amputees Source: Norges Cykleforbund / Wikipedia Tangen is supported by Cato Zahl Pedersen, who is head of the Norwegian Paralympic squad in Paris. Tangen was the third best of the H4 riders on the pace, and would thus have received a medal if the classes had not been combined. For the top positions, she was ultimately without a chance. – She got bronze in the WC and would have got the same here if there were separate classes. It is a wish, and to that extent a good development, that you merge classes, but then you have to do as in cross-country skiing and alpine skiing. There you have a factor system that makes it fairer, says Zahl Pedersen and continues: – It is unreasonable to put H5 and H4 together and just say “you compete together”. Because then you wipe out those with the most disability, then only the best are left. It is not a desired development for Paralympic sports. CHIEF: Cato Zahl Pedersen. Photo: Terje Haugnes / news But in place in the Paralympics, there is little she can do with the division. While she believes she has a huge disadvantage in the individual competition, she believes that the joint start will offer a far greater advantage. – I think that in the joint start we are the ones who have an advantage, because then we cycle with classes that are more “disabled” than us. So for those who are H1, H2, it’s… So, it’s impossible. It is almost impossible for them to win. And it shouldn’t be like that. You can watch the joint start on news at 10.35 Thursday. Support from legend Oksana Masters is one of the most famous athletes in Paralympic sport and has earned legendary status. She won the time trial in H4/H5, but understands well that Tangen will separate the classes. American Masters believes that the tempo course also offered great challenges for her, but wants to work for a change. – It is something that motivates me. I want handcycling to grow as a sport, and that they don’t lump the classes together, she says to news. Masters has 19 Paralympic medals, eight of them gold. Greater chance of a medal in one class Therefore, she also had to adjust her own goals accordingly. – I would have been very satisfied with the top five in both the individual start and the joint start. If I manage to do that, it means that I’m about second or third in my category. And I can be very happy with that, actually, says Tangen. PARIS-GLIS: A cheerful Tangen says it feels great to be in the Paralympics, but becomes more serious when it comes to the combined classes. Photo: Inger Kristine Lee / news – So the way the classes are composed now robs you of a medal opportunity? – Yes, it does. It does. That’s just the way it is. If you are in the H5 class, you have a 50 percent chance of getting a medal in PL. There are six athletes in the joint start, so there is a 50 percent chance of winning a medal. Is it okay, like? If you understand. So there will probably be a lot of letter writing after Paris to the UCI, and then… At least get some answers as to why you think this is okay? Because it only happens on the women’s side. It doesn’t happen on the men’s side, she says. news has tried to get an answer from the UCI in connection with this case, but has so far been unsuccessful. The IPC referred the matter to the UCI regarding this matter. – Trying to make it as fair as possible Tangen says that this has also been the case in the past, in both the Paralympics in Rio and Tokyo for her part. – What they blame now is that the women’s class is not big enough. That there are not enough people here for us to justify and issue medals in that way. And then I think, if they give H5 its own joint start, then it is… That argument is not entirely valid, says Tangen. – But I think they are probably trying to make it as fair as possible. In the individual start, we have a back part, but in the joint start we have an advantage. We’re trying to even it out a bit, sort of. And that’s fine enough, that. But yes, then they point the finger a bit back and say that you must get more athletes if we are going to do something. 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Suzanna Tangen chastises the cycling association – believes she will be deprived of medal opportunities – Paralympics Paris 2024
