Two former soldiers to represent Great Britain at World Para-Cycling Championships
Two former Army soldiers have been selected to compete for Great Britain at the Para-Cycling World Championships in Glasgow this summer.
Double Paralympic gold medalist Jaco van Gass will compete in the men's road race event alongside teammates Ben Watson, Archie Atkinson and Will Bjergfelt.
The South African-born former Parachute Regiment soldier was injured while serving in Afghanistan in 2009, losing his left arm at the elbow after he was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade [RPG].
Van Gass has been a member of the British Para-Cycling team since competing at his first World Championships in 2013, and in 2020 he became a triple world champion in track cycling.
The former Invictus Games athlete won two gold medals and a bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympics where he also broke three world records.
He will be joined by former Royal Engineer Nick Beighton, who has made a switch to cycling after successful careers in rowing and paracanoe, where he won a bronze medal at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The double amputee, who suffered life-changing injuries while serving on Operation Herrick, is set to compete for Great Britain as a hand cyclist.
He will be competing in the mixed relay road race, alongside teammates Luke Jones, Alex Brooke-Turner and Felix Barrow.
This will be the first world championships in which hand cyclists will represent the GB cycling team in the mixed relay.
Up to 84 athletes have been selected to compete at the World Cycling championships, take place in Glasgow, Scotland from 3-13 August.
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