Nathan Clement

Started: He took up Para cycling in 2020. (paralympic.ca, 01 Oct 2023) Reason: He decided to get involved in Para cycling after doing a 1000-kilometre cycle in British Columbia, Canada, in 2020. "I always loved cycling. I did it as a cross-training sport when I was a swimmer. I got asked in an interview about if I would be interested in competing in high-performance sport again, and I needed some time to think about it and eventually the resounding answer was yes." (paralympic.ca, 01 Oct 2023; Canadian Paralympic Team YouTube channel, 27 Jul 2023) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (cbc.ca, 08 Aug 2023) Additional Info: SPORT SWITCH He began swimming competitively in high school in West Vancouver, BC, Canada, and went on to represent Canada in swimming at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He quit swimming in 2018, took up Para cycling in 2020, and won a world title three years later in the T1 time trial at the 2023 World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. "In swimming I was a 50m butterflyer and now I'm riding 40, 50, 60 kilometres at least a day. So it's been quite a difference in the kind of effort and for time and for distance I've done in swimming versus cycling. But I also feel that having that background knowledge of swimming of understanding what it's like to be a sprinter, what it's like to have that kind of quick burst that swimming had, is really helping me in cycling too. When I left swimming in 2018, I was done with high-performance sports forever, and being here [as a Para cycling world champion] now feels unfathomable. Two years ago [speaking in 2023], I was bar tending, trying to fund this crazy idea of racing bikes and dreaming I had a shot at riding for Canada. Hurdles, injuries, and setbacks pushed me to my limits, time and time again. From where this started to where we are now is inconceivable." (SportsDeskOnline, 22 Dec 2023; paralympic.ca, 01 Oct 2023; Instagram profile, 20 Aug 2023; Canadian Paralympic Team YouTube channel, 27 Jul 2023; nsnews.com, 04 Jan 2012) COACHING He has coached children in swimming. "Don't be afraid to take the risk; don't be afraid to jump off the deep end here and there and just throw yourself into the fires a little bit. That's one thing I really try to teach the kids that I coach." (cbc.ca, 08 Aug 2023)

Sporting Relatives: His father played rugby and ice hockey at provincial level in Ontario, Canada, and was also an Ironman triathlete. (paralympic.ca, 01 Oct 2023)