Tokyo — Pieter du Preez picked up Team SA’s third gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics with victory in the paracycling H1 time trial on the famed Fuji Speedway circuit on Tuesday.
Pieter du Preez has overcome so much in his life that he wasn’t going to be thrown off track for Tokyo Paralympic gold by another competitor swerving in front of him, almost resulting in a race-ruining, or worse, accident.
As Du Preez thundered down the main straight at the Fuji Speedway circuit, and across the finish line to complete the first of two 8km loops, a paracyclist, finishing a different classification race, swerved in front of him to exit the track on the right.
“I saw him so late, I swerved and tipped onto two wheels, otherwise I would have hit him properly. My arm touched his wheel… that’s how close it was. I was flying.”
The South African was speaking in the immediate aftermath of winning gold in the men’s H1 time trial at the famous track, nearly two hours outside Tokyo.
The three paracyclists at these Games – Du Preez, Ernst van Dyk and Toni Mould – have been staying nearby for the week they’ve been in…
