Megan Giglia

Last updated

Megan Giglia
MBE
Personal information
NationalityBritish
Born (1985-03-26) 26 March 1985 (age 38)
Kent, England
Website www.megangiglia.com
Sport
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
SportTrack & Road Cycling
ClubPara-T and Congleton Cycling Club
Medal record
Representing Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
Women's Para-cycling
Summer Paralympics
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Rio de Janeiro Ind. Pursuit (C3)
Track World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Montichiari Time trial (C3)
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2016 Montichiari Pursuit (C3)

Megan Giglia, MBE (born 26 March 1985) is a British Paralympic track cyclist competing in C3 classification events. [1] Giglia came to note as a cyclist during the 2016 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships where she won gold medals in the Individual Pursuit and Time Trial events becoming double world champion and setting new world records in both.

Contents

Personal history

Giglia was born in 1985 in Kent, England and spent her early life in Stratford-upon-Avon before moving to Manchester. [2] In 2013 Giglia worked as a multi-sport coach, specialising in teaching rugby and gymnastics. After suffering from several fainting spells at work she sought medical advice that revealed blood in her spinal fluid. [1] [3] Further tests showed a bleed on her brain which required surgery. Initially attempts were made to insert fine coils into her brain, but when this failed she underwent a craniotomy. [3] She awoke from the surgery after a two-week induced coma with the loss of function the right side of her body, reduced speech and memory loss. [3] A month after her operation Giglia was admitted to an intensive rehab facility. Although feeling positive at the unit, Giglia discovered the extent of her disability on returning home, as she found simple everyday tasks difficult to complete independently. [3] A few months later she was diagnosed with epilepsy, she and her partner split up and Giglia fell into a depression. She left her home and spent three weeks sleeping on her friends couch, before a talk with her friend's mother, who had terminal cancer, placed her life into perspective. [3] In a 2015 interview, Giglia stated that "She made me rethink things. I had to do something for me. She gave me back that focus. She told me she wanted me to find a sport and be the best I can be." [3]

Cycling career

After deciding to turn her life around, Giglia researched several sports to join and attended a para-cycling selection camp for women. A year on from her stroke she was classified as a C3 athlete and was accepted on to the British Cycling Paralympic Development Programme. [3] Over the next six months she progressed through the Great Britain talent scheme until she progressed to the Academy in October 2014. [4]

Giglia was selected for the Great Britain team at the 2015 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Apeldoorn. She finished just outside the medal positions in both the C3 500m time-trial (4th) and the C3 individual pursuit (4th). [5] She was then selected for the 2015 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Nottwil in Switzerland; but again failed to medal with two fourth places in the time trial and the road race. [5] The year ended with a major break-through for Giglia when she beat the reigning world champion, Denise Schindler, in the C3 individual pursuit. [5]

In 2016, in the buildup to the Summer Paralympics in Rio, Giglia entered her second World Championships. There, at Montichiari in Italy, she won gold in both the C3 500m time-trial and the individual pursuit setting new world records in both events. [5]

On the first day of the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Giglia won the women's 3000 m individual pursuit (C3), Great Britain's first medal of the Games. [6]

Giglia was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to cycling. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aileen McGlynn</span> Scottish cyclist

Aileen McGlynn is a Scottish paralympic tandem champion cyclist, tandem piloted until 2009 by Ellen Hunter but most regularly piloted by Helen Scott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Storey</span> British cyclist

Dame Sarah Joanne Storey, is a British Paralympic athlete in cycling and swimming, and a multiple gold medalist in the Paralympic Games, and six times British (able-bodied) national track champion. Her total of 28 Paralympic medals including 17 gold medals makes her the most successful and most decorated British Paralympian of all time as well as one of the most decorated Paralympic athletes of all time. She has the unique distinction of winning five gold medals in Paralympics before turning 19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Nicholas</span> Australian Paralympic cyclist

David Nicholas, is an Australian cyclist. He won silver and gold medals at the 2012 London Paralympics and a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simone Kennedy (cyclist)</span>

Simone Kennedy is an English-born Australian cyclist. She represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics and won a silver medal in the individual pursuit C1-3. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Powell (cyclist)</span> Australian Paralympic cyclist

Susan "Sue" Powell, is an Australian cyclist. At the 2012 London Paralympics, she won a gold medal in the Women's Individual Pursuit C4, setting a new world record in the process, and a silver medal in the Women's Individual Pursuit C4. At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Powell won the silver medal in the 3 km Women's Individual Pursuit C4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Lisney</span> Australian cyclist and rower

Alexandra Lisney is an Australian rower and cyclist. She won a bronze medal in the Women's Individual Pursuit C4 at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. She represented Australian at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Reid</span> Australian Paralympic swimmer and cyclist

Amanda Reid is an Australian Paralympic swimmer and cyclist. She represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in swimming. At the 2016 Summer Paralympics, she won a silver medal in the Women's 500 m Time Trial C1–3 and at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics a gold medal in 500 m Time Trial C1–3. In 2023, she won a gold medal at the 2023 World Para Snowboard Championships]].

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elinor Barker</span> Welsh racing cyclist (born 1994)

Elinor Jane Barker is a Welsh road and track racing cyclist, who last rode professionally on the road for UCI Women's Team Drops. Representing Great Britain in international competitions, Barker is an Olympic champion, a two-time World champion and seven-time European champion in the team pursuit, as well as a three-time World champion in the points and scratch races, a two-time European Madison champion and one time European Elimination race champion. Representing Wales, Barker was also the 2018 Commonwealth Games Points race champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Scott (cyclist)</span> English cyclist

Helen Sarah Scott, is an English sprint cyclist. As well as competing as part of the Great Britain team Scott is also an able-bodied tandem cyclist, who since 2011 has acted as pilot for Paralympian Aileen McGlynn, Sophie Thornhill and Alison Patrick.

Sophie Thornhill, is a visually impaired English former racing cyclist who competed in para-cycling tandem track events. She is a double world champion, with pilot Rachel James, and a double Commonwealth gold medallist, with pilot Helen Scott, in the tandem sprint and 1 km time trial events. In April 2014, she set world records in the tandem sprint and 1 km time trial, piloted by James. She retired from competition in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kadeena Cox</span> British paralympic athlete

Kadeena Cox is a parasport athlete competing in T38 para-athletics sprint events and C4 para-cycling and British television presenter. She was part of the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships and the 2016 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships, in which she won world titles in the T37 100m and C4 500m time trial respectively.

Lora Marie Fachie, is a visually impaired English racing cyclist who competes in para-cycling tandem road and track events. She is a double world champion, with pilot Corrine Hall, in the tandem road race and 1 km time trial events.

Louis Rolfe is a British Paralympic track cyclist competing in C2 classification events. Rolfe came to note as a cyclist during the 2016 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships where he was part of the gold medal-winning British team sprint event along with fellow cyclists Jon-Allan Butterworth and Jody Cundy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Bate</span>

Stephen Stanley Bate is a New Zealand–British Paralympic cyclist who competes in tandem races as an athlete with a visual impairment. Since 2014, Bate has been piloted by Adam Duggleby. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, the pair won gold in the men's individual pursuit B and men's road time trial B, and bronze in the men's road race B.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Duggleby</span> British cyclist

Adam Christopher John Duggleby is a British cyclist. He represented Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Paralympics as a sighted pilot for visually impaired cyclist Stephen Bate, whom he was paired with in January 2014. The pair won gold in the men's individual pursuit B and men's road time trial B, and bronze in the men's road race B.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emily Petricola</span> Australian Paralympic cyclist

Emily Petricola is an Australian Paralympic cyclist. She is a world record holder and gold medallist at the 2019 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships and the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

Jamie Whitmore Cardenas is a former American triathlete turned para-cyclist. Whitmore began her sports career competing in the XTERRA Triathlon throughout the 2000s. As a XTERRA triathlete, she won over thirty events and was the XTERRA world champion in 2004. After being diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma in 2008, Whitmore moved to para-cycling in the 2010s and competed in championships held by the Union Cycliste Internationale.

Megan Fisher is a Canadian-American Paralympic athlete. She has won one gold, two silver, and one bronze medal for Team USA at the Paralympic Games.

Benjamin Michael Watson is a British para cyclist competing in road, time trial and track cycling events in the C3 category.

Jaco-Albert van Gass is a South African-born British racing cyclist who competes in para-cycling track events. He won two gold medals and one bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. He is a three times world record holder in Track cycling.

References

  1. 1 2 "Megan Giglia". britishcycling.org.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  2. ↑ "Member profile: Megan Giglia". britishcycling.org.uk. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Winter, Laura (13 April 2016). "I want stroke survivors to realise they are not alone". themixedzone.co.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "Megan Giglia". paracyclingteam.com. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Megan Giglia". rio.paralympics.org.uk. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  6. ↑ "Women's C1-2-3 3000m Individual Pursuit Schedule and Results – Paralympic Cycling Track". Archived from the original on 22 September 2016.
  7. ↑ "No. 61803". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2016. p. N18.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.