In his Paralympic debut, Elouan Gardon, the 18-year-old from Acme, Whatcom County, earned third place in the 4000-meter C5 individual pursuit event in track cycling on Aug. 31.
Gardon is the youngest member of the 13 U.S. Paralympics Cycling team members and the first to score a medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Not only that, but this month has marked Gardon’s first foray into the discipline of track — his past bike racing experience has run the gamut from enduros to road time trials, competing against able-bodied riders and against para-cyclists. His para-cycling race category, C5, indicates that he uses standard equipment (C) and has the lowest degree of physical impairment (5).
Gardon is originally from the North Bay Area of California and moved with his parents to the South Fork Valley of Whatcom County in 2022.
“It feels pretty surreal,” Gardon said in a U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee news release. “I am so incredibly happy, and happy to get the first medal for para-cycling in the Paralympic Games. I can’t wait to continue.”
Gardon took 7th in the C5 individual time trial on Sept. 4 and finished out his Paralympic debut on Sept. 6 at the C4-5 road race with another 7th place. He’ll now head to Zurich, Switzerland for the UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships.
Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
