Jaco van Gass wins Paralympic gold medal a week after being hit by a car

(CNN) — Jaco van Gass was lying in a French hospital bed a week ago, battered and bruised after a car hit him while he was out training on his bike, leaving his hopes of defending his Paralympic title hanging by a thread.

“I was totally heartbroken, I was like, this could be my Paralympics done before I’ve even started,” the 38-year-old Brit said, according to Paralympics GB.

“I was so worried but I was quickly in an ambulance and in hospital and the medical teams could not have done more. I woke up the next day so stiff and sore and it was very hard to even comprehend I’d be riding.”

But on Friday, he was back, powering around the velodrome, winning the men’s 3000-meter individual pursuit and setting a new world record in the process as he defeated his teammate Fin Graham in the final.

“I wasn’t worried about the cuts but my knee was really badly bruised but within two days I was back on the bike,” van Gass added of his injuries. “I did a session at the velodrome and then I knew I’d be okay, after all it was only a Renault!”

It marked van Gass’ third Paralympic title and fourth medal after he won two golds and a bronze at the Tokyo Games. He still has the opportunity to win four more medals in Paris having set his second world record at these Games in the qualifying stages of the men’s C1-3 1000m time trial.

“I went to Tokyo as an underdog and won two golds and broke three world records,” he said. “I’ve really put a lot of pressure on myself to retain them and I’ve got more races to come but this is a big tick in the box.”

Van Gass was previously a paratrooper in the British Army until he sustained life-changing injuries, including the loss of his left arm at the elbow, when he was hit by a rocket propelled grenade in Afghanistan in 2009.

After undergoing 11 operations to recover from the injuries, he became a multiple marathon runner, downhill skier and adventurer, taking on challenges like trekking unsupported to the North Pole with a team of wounded soldiers. He also attempted to climb Mount Everest though just missed the summit due to adverse weather.

Later, van Gass turned to cycling, reaching the pinnacle of the sport at the Covid-hit Tokyo Paralympic Games.

“When I stood on that podium in Tokyo and looked at those empty stands, I wanted to do it with my family here and now I have,” he said. “That was a decision I made three years ago, to focus on the training and not go off on crazy adventures and stuff.”