This marks the seventeenth medal for the Polish team, bringing their tally to five gold, five silver, and seven bronze medals.
Out of eleven competitors, eight managed to complete the race. Jetze Plat from the Netherlands secured the gold medal, covering the 56.8 km course with a 140-meter elevation gain in 1:29:15.
Austria’s Thomas Fruehwirth took the silver medal, trailing by 31 seconds, while Wilk earned the bronze, finishing 5:35 behind the leader.
Before competing at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, the 49-year-old Wilk had already stood on the Paralympic podium four times.
He became a three-time Paralympic champion, winning two gold medals at the 2012 London Games (in the time trial and road race). Four years later, at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, he added two more medals: gold in the time trial and silver in the road race.
According to sportowefakty.wp.pl, Rafał Wilk, who hails from Łańcut in southeastern Poland, began his sports career as a speedway rider. In 2006, he had a serious accident during a competition in Krosno. After breaking his spine, he started using a wheelchair.
Source: IAR/PAP/X/@SPORT_GOV_PL/@pawel_slupski
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