An unequal battle for gold? Why Ewoud Vromant had to face an opponent with 2 legs

To the outside world it seemed like an unfair duel. Ewoud Vromant was beaten in his final race of the individual pursuit of the Paralympic Games by home rider Alexandre Léauté. And striking: while Vromant’s right leg is amputated, his opponent still has both legs. That seemed bizarre at first sight, but G-cyclist Niels Verschaeren puts it into perspective. “We trust the UCI’s judgment.”

He was already certain of silver, but gold still seemed like “mission impossible”.

Ewoud Vromant had to acknowledge his superior in the final race of the 3,000 meter individual pursuit in the French phenomenon Alexandre Léauté. The home rider eventually beat our compatriot by two seconds.

A performance that nevertheless raised many questions among the viewers. Because, Vromant has an amputated right leg and his French competitor still has both legs.

It made for a striking image, especially when Vromant had to walk to his bike with crutches, while his competitor went to his starting position independently.

Our editorial team has been asked several times: is that fair and how come these two are allowed to compete against each other? We listened to our co-commentator and G-cyclist Niels Verschaeren.

“Well, everyone who wants to become a G-cyclist first undergoes a medical examination. This is to determine in which category the athlete may participate. I had to do that too. For me it went quite quickly, since my disability is clearly visible, but for many others it can take a while,” says Verschaeren from personal experience.

“You are often turned inside out to see what your limitations are, your loss of strength and muscle reduction are also mapped out and it is examined how functional everything still is.”

It is a check that is first done by the national federation, which consults a medical file from a doctor. And when the athlete in question wants to compete internationally, the UCI – which always has the last word – gives a second opinion.

Both Vromant and Léauté were classified in the C2 class.

In Léauté it is not visible to the naked eye, but he has up to 95% loss of strength in one leg.

Niels Verschaeren

C stands for the type of bike the athletes ride. In Vromant’s category – called “Cycling” – these are standard racing bikes with possible adjustments. But you also have the H-class for handbikes. Or the T-class for three-wheelers (tricycle).

Cycling is divided into 5 classes, from C1 to C5. C1 is the heaviest category. For example, people with an amputated arm or leg ride in this category. C5 is the lightest category. These riders can still use their lower body completely, but have, for example, an amputation of the lower arm.

And there Vromant and Léauté meet. In the C2-class concerns an amputation of one leg above the knee or advanced weakness or paralysis in one leg.

“With Vromant it is clear: his right leg was amputated up to his groin. With Léauté it is not visible to the naked eye, but according to the official reports he has up to 95% loss of strength in one leg. A paralysis that occurred after a stroke. As a result, he falls into the C2 class, just like Vromant,” Verschaeren explains.

“It is a bit of a grey area and of course there is margin within the categories, because you cannot create fifty classes, but we still trust the independent judgement of the UCI. In this way, close attention is paid to how the athletes perform or evolve within their discipline,” Verschaeren explains.