Mel Pemble's journey from Winter Paralympian to Para-cycling world champion

Mel Pemble is an athlete on the rise.

The Canadian Para-cyclist burst onto the scene last month in France at her first Para-cycling track world championships, where she turned heads by breaking a world record and capturing two gold medals.

A former Para-alpine skier who competed at the 2018 Paralympics, Pemble is now racing toward the 2024 Paralympics in Paris while quickly rising to the top of a different sport.

The 22-year-old resident of Victoria, B.C., was just as surprised by her breakout debut as anyone else.

"I kind of had a goal of podiuming at world championships maybe next year, maybe two years down the line kind of thing. I just came to this one wanting to see how I stacked up against everyone and just having some personal-best performances," Pemble told CBC Sports.

"The whole result came as such a surprise and a very nice one for sure."

For Pemble, all the success was an amazing bonus after already achieving the main goal of reaching her first worlds as a Para-cyclist.

"I'd already made the world championships, and if anything else happened I was just over the moon with the result. That whole first day was just such a blur. I was super excited to see that I had not only come first but also set a world record in the meantime," Pemble said.

Team work makes the ✨dream work✨ Nothing beats the proud look on coaches’ faces, congratulations Mel! <br><br>Toutes nos félicitations à Mel Pemble et ses entraîneurs pour leur beau travail d’équipe