Malzbender Hunts Precious Metal In Global Challenge

Paralympian #220 Eltje Malzbender will proudly fly the Kiwi flag as the sole representative of the New Zealand team seeking podium success this week at the Zurich 2024 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships.

The 62-year-old tricyclist opens her account in the Swiss city by competing on a flat course over the 11.3km distance in the Women’s T1-2 Individual Time Trial on Wednesday (25 September) NZT before she lines up in the Women’s T1-2 Road Race on Friday (27 September) NZT – where she competes over an undulating 31.8km distance which includes a total of 257m of elevation.

Malzbender has harvested an impressive collection of medals on the global stage having claimed double gold in the Women’s T1 Individual Time Trial and Women’s T1 Road Race at the 2019 Para-Cycling Road World Championships and a silver medal in each of those events at the 2023 edition in Glasgow.

The experienced Kiwi, who has been preparing for her assault at the Zurich 2024 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships at Limoux in the South of France since mid-August, said: “I have been training hard and riding daily in warm weather on the quiet roads in the South of France. I have not raced since the World Cup in Adelaide in January – while my competition has been racing all summer in Europe.”

Looking forward to both events she adds: “My goals are to perform at my best and achieve a podium result.”

Malzbender, who lives with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) following a crash during a training ride, was introduced to riding a tricycle at the Cambridge velodrome was selected on the HPSNZ Pathway to Podium programme with Paralympics New Zealand in 2018. She represented her country at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games finishing fifth in the Women’s T1-2 Individual Time Trial.

Vicki Fleming, Coach and Athlete Support for Malzbender in Zurich, added: “Eltje has been preparing well and she hopes to maximise her opportunities in Zurich. She has a great record of success at the World Championships and will once again be seeking to win a medal.”

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