GB cyclist wins Paralympic gold just days after flying over car bonnet when driver pulled out and hit him in Paris

Great Britain’s track cycling star Jaco van Gass may have added a third gold medal to his collection in the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome in Paris yesterday, but his so-far serene Paralympic experience was hanging by a thread only a few days ago, after the 38-year-old was hit by a motorist who pulled out in front of him during a recce session on the French capital’s streets last week.

On a day which saw GB’s track cycling team secure two golds, two silvers, and two bronze medals, Van Gass defended his C3 3,000m individual pursuit title by comfortably beating teammate Finlay Graham in yesterday’s final.

(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

But the South African-born star’s track campaign was almost scuppered before it had even begun, after he was injured while out training on the city centre course set to used for the road race and time trial events, when an oblivious motorist pulled out in front of him and sent him flying over the car bonnet, injuring his knee.

“I had a little accident last Friday, I was hit by a car,” the now-four-time Paralympic medallist, who was injured in 2009 while serving as a member of the Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan, said after his individual pursuit win yesterday.

(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

“We did a recce of the road course last week, a car pulled out in front of me and I went over the bonnet.

“I had to take a few days off to recover, nurse myself back in, but we managed to recover well. We went through significant concussion protocols, I took a day off to let my body settle, then I was back on the bike.”

Van Gass said he was taken to hospital after being helped by the motorist and passers-by, but was released the same day. However, the extent of his injuries, in particular the pain he was experiencing in his knee, left him worried about his Paralympic prospects, with the track cycling set to start less than a week after his crash.

(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

“I was heartbroken, I literally thought this could be my Paralympics done,” he continued. “I had a big cut on my head, but I had a few scans and I was cleared. I was looked after really well.

“The next day is always the hardest because that’s when you’re very sore and stiff. The Saturday was very hard to comprehend – will I be riding? By the Sunday I was on the track again.”

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He continued: “I’m overwhelmed, delighted, and just generally happy it’s over to be honest. It has been a rollercoaster to this moment. I rode an average qualifier, it wasn’t perfect, and I knew I had something to work on for the final. It paid off, and I’m just elated to be there.

“The game plan was always to be selected for the games, and there was no-one in Tokyo. I knew from that second that I had to try again, Paris was next, with friends and family here. That’s what has driven me here.”

(Ed Sykes/SWpix.com)

Van Gass’s individual pursuit gold was followed by another British victory in the women’s B 1,000m time trial for Lizzi Jordan and her pilot Danni Khan, who overcame a slower start to overhaul the time of Australian tandem pair Jess Gallagher and Caitlin Ward and win gold. GB’s Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl also bagged bronze in the time trial on what was a bumper day in the velodrome for Britain’s riders.