Canadian handcyclist Maarten Duif secured his inaugural world championship medal by clinching silver in the men’s H1 road race held in Huntsville, Alabama. Duif, hailing from Carleton Place, Ontario, finished second behind the reigning world champion Fabrizio Cornegliani of Italy, who completed the 55.2-kilometre race in one hour 59:13 minutes to claim his 11th world medal. Patrik Jahoda of Czechia took home the bronze for the second consecutive year.
Expressing his excitement in a press release, Duif mentioned, “I initially underestimated my performance, but everything fell into place during the first lap. The competition was fierce, and I gave it my all, resulting in the silver medal. It’s a tremendous honor to represent Canada.”
This silver medal marks Canada’s third podium finish at the 2026 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, with Michael Sametz and Alexandre Hayward previously securing silver and bronze, respectively, in the men’s C3 individual time trial on Saturday. Earlier in the event, Duif finished fifth in the men’s H1 time trial.
Having been born in Holland, Duif’s recent success follows a remarkable World Cup season where he led Canada by claiming four medals in Gistel, Belgium, and Abruzzo, Italy. His journey in the sport began less than a decade ago, starting with the purchase of his first handcycle in 2018 and transitioning to competitive racing the following year. Through dedicated training and perseverance, Duif steadily built his strength and endurance on the roads.
