Canadian handcyclist Maarten Duif secured his inaugural world-championship medal by clinching the silver in the men’s H1 road race held in Huntsville, Alabama on Sunday. The athlete from Carleton Place, Ontario, finished second only to the reigning world champion Fabrizio Cornegliani of Italy, who completed the 55.2-kilometre race in one hour and 59 minutes. Patrik Jahoda from Czechia took home the bronze for the second consecutive year.
Reflecting on his achievement, Duif expressed his initial doubt at the start of the race but was elated as everything fell into place during the first lap. He commended his tough competitors and highlighted the honor of representing Canada. This marked Canada’s third medal at the 2026 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, following Michael Sametz and Alexandre Hayward’s silver and bronze finishes in the men’s C3 individual time trial the day before.
Prior to this success, Duif had secured a fifth-place finish in the men’s H1 time trial on Friday. The talented athlete, originally from Holland, had a remarkable World Cup season, securing four medals in Gistel, Belgium, and Abruzzo, Italy, with two silvers in the road race and two bronzes in the time trial. Duif’s journey in the sport began less than a decade ago when he acquired his first handcycle in 2018 and started competing the following year, gradually honing his skills through rigorous training sessions on the roads.