While a silver medal is the physical object Nathan Clement will carry with him forever, he describes his entire Paralympic experience as “surreal” from the moment he landed in Paris, France.
“Seeing the Eiffel tower in the distance, seeing where the cauldron is – that floating balloon that they had off in the distance – was just really, really cool,” said the West Vancouver para cyclist.
Clement, 29, said he was lucky to visit the velodrome, about an hour outside the city, when the torch was being passed through the venue.
“It was just rocking. It was vibrant. It was loud,” he said.
As he settled into the village, Clement was immersed in the community of athletes, running into other competitors, watching swimming events on TV and being part of the crowd at the Stade de France, the largest stadium in the country.
“That energy was just so strong that you were so eager and ready to go race and go compete, no matter what sport you were in,” he said.
The peak moment of Clement’s athletic performance at the Games, and likely his career so far, came during his silver medal finish on Sept. 4 in the men’s T1-2 individual time trial.
With the momentum of being crowned world champion in the time trial event last August, and claiming gold at the Parapan Games in November, Clement said he was gunning for the podium in Paris.
But to get that medal, he had to dig deep.
Nerve condition caused 'a lot of pain throughout the time trial'
Clement suffers from a nervous system disorder called dystonia that causes his muscles to contract uncontrollably. It gets worse under strain.
“I experience high spasticity when I’m tired or fatigued,” he said. “I had gone through a little rough period before with my arm, and especially on the day of the time trial my arm was not wanting to stay on the handlebars, which is the last thing you want.”
It required intense focus for Clement to keep his hand on the bar.
“It caused a lot of difficulty, and it caused a lot of pain throughout the time trial, more than what I’ve experienced in the past,” he said. “It was a moment of trial by fire. It was that moment you had to go through to get that medal.”
Clement’s determination paid off, when he noticed his silver position on the screen while riding across the finish line.
His final time was 22 minutes 53.36 seconds around the 14.6-kilometre track, one minute 17.58 seconds behind gold medallist Jianxin Chen of China.
Clement said the moment, his first podium at a Paralympic Games, was pure emotion.
“I can’t even describe that feeling,” he said. “But even more special than receiving and holding that medal was giving [my parents] a hug and really taking in that moment with them.”
A few days later, during the road race cycling event on Saturday, Clement said he was still pushing himself but also focusing on taking in the moment. He placed ninth in the road race.
Focus turns to L.A. 2028
Clement said one source of inspiration for him was the performance of the women’s wheelchair basketball team, which is led in part by Tara Llanes of North Vancouver.
“Tara is one of those people who I’ve known for a few years now,” he said. “I have the biggest respect for her and everything that she’s done.”
Team Canada’s run took them all the way to the semi-final match, where the women’s squad fell to China for a fourth-place finish.
After an unforgettable time in Paris, Clement is taking some time off in Portugal before he heads to the 2024 Road and Para-Cycling Road World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland, Sept. 21 to 29.
But now it’s all about the next Paralympics in Los Angeles in 2028, he said, which takes some pressure off the upcoming competition.
“It’s going to be one of those fun opportunities just to get out, ride a bike, be loose. And sometimes when you have that mindset, it can lead to some great things,” Clement said.
