Canadian track cyclist Mel Pemble sets world record in women's C3 500m time trial at Paralympics

Canadian track cyclist Mel Pemble set a world record on Saturday with a blazing qualifying time in the women's C1-3 500-metre time trial at the Paris Paralympics.

The 24-year-old from Victoria, B.C., clocked a time of 38.512 seconds while advancing to the final as the fourth-fastest rider among the field of 11 at the National Velodrome.

Pemble, a former Paralympic alpine skier, broke the mark of 39.093 set by Australia's Aniek Van Den Aarssen on the same track at the 2022 world championships.

The six-rider final is scheduled for 7:35 a.m. ET, with live coverage available on CBC Gem, the Paris 2024 website and the Paris 2024 mobile app for Android and iOS devices. The event combines the C1 to C3 classifications.

Pemble raced alone against the clock with an average speed of 46.739 kilometres an hour.

''She made sure she had an optimal environment for her training leading into the Games and she got the result she fully deserved,'' said Canada's Para cycling head coach Sébastien Travers.

Australia's Amanda Reid (C2) finished first in the qualifying heats, while China's Qian Wangwei (C1) and Germany's Maike Hausberger (C2) finished second and third, respectively. Qian also set a world record in her category with a time of 40.883.

Travers expects a very close battle for the medals.

''All six women in the final are very strong and competitive.'' he said. ''For our athletes we are looking for personal bests. If Mel beats her world record, then the results should follow.''