After she fell off the track, New Zealand cyclist Paula Tesoriero won her gold medal and set a new world record.
Tesoriero, 33, won a gold medal in the Women's 500m Time Trial (LC3-4/CP 3) with a new world record 43.281 seconds. She became the first gold medalist in cycling and also for her country.
It is not easy winning gold - hard work, luck, good conditions, and also pain are in the cards. Before she saw the final results, something happened to her.
After she finished her race, she was about to get off the track so she slowed down and was looking around. While riding slowly across the corner, she crashed her bike and couldn't move. There was nothing wrong, she just fell off.
The medical assistants put her on the stretcher immediately and her expression was etched in pain. She couldn't speak; her chin and hands were shaking uncontrollably. Yet at that very moment, it appeared on the screen that she won the gold medal. Looking at the screen, she burst into tears.
Fellow athletes came to her side and gave their congratulations; she struggled to sit up and waved her left hand to the many spectators who were encouraging her.
"This is our first medal for Beijing 2008 for the Paralympics," said Ron Corban, the Paralympic attaché for their team.
"She has been training for her medal for four or five years. It was hard."
Paula Tesoriero of New Zealand started her training in 2004 and won three silver medals last year in Bordeaux, France.
When asked about her feeling winning gold, she smiled happily and said, "Fantastic!"
She will also participate in Women's Individual Pursuit (LC 3-4/CP 3) in Cycling Track and Women's Individual Time Trial LC 3/LC 4/CP 3 in Cycling Road. The fall doesn't seem to be a big problem for her because she said confidently that "Yes, I will be OK!"
(BOCOG September 8, 2008)