MALZBENDER Eltje

New Zealand

Cycling Road

Date of Birth: 15 May 1962

Age: 59

Gender: Female

Sport Class: T1

Birth Country:

Germany

Place of residence : CAMBRIDGE

Residence Country:

New Zealand

Events and Medals
Records
Schedule
Bio
General Interest
Milestones

Events and Medals

Discipline	Event	Rank	Medal
Cycling Road	Women's T1-2 Road Race	DNF
	Women's T1-2 Time Trial	5

Schedule

Change

Start Time	Location	Event	Status
	Fuji International Speedway	Women's T1-2 Time Trial	Finished
	Fuji International Speedway	Women's T1-2 Road Race	Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

Athlete:

Rank	Event	Year	Location
Road World Championships
1	Women's T1 - Road Race	2019	Emmen, NED
1	Women's T1 - Time Trial	2019	Emmen, NED
5	Women's T2 - Time Trial	2018	Maniago, ITA
DNF	Women's T2 - Road Race	2018	Maniago, ITA

Occupation:

Athlete

Languages spoken:

English

Club name:

Morrinsville Wheelers Cycling Club [New Zealand]

Coach:

Michael Bland [personal]

Other sports:

She competed in able-bodied athletics at national level in Germany. She also competed in able-bodied cycling with Te Awamutu Sports Cycling Club at national level in New Zealand. (pedals.co.nz, 04 May 2020; nzherald.co.nz, 01 Jul 2017

Debut:

2018 for New Zealand, World Championships in Maniago, Italy (pedals.co.nz, 04 May 2020)

Injuries:

In August 2017 she suffered a broken wrist during training. (Attitude YouTube channel, 16 Sep 2017)

Start:

She began Para cycling in about 2017. (nzherald.co.nz, 01 Jul 2017)

Reason:

After her accident she wanted to get back on a bike as soon as possible because she found the sport to be a great reliever of stress. "When I began walking again I was back on the bike six times a week. Cycling was my life, and now more than ever." (pedals.co.nz, 04 May 2020; tvnz.co.nz, 06 Sep 2019; nzherald.co.nz, 01 Jul 2017)

Ambition:

To win gold at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (newsroom.co.nz, 17 May 2021)

Philosophy:

"Success through adversity." (pedals.co.nz, 04 May 2020)

Award:

She has been featured on New Zealand's Para Cycling Walk of Champions, which was unveiled in August 2020 in recognition of the country's world champions and Paralympic gold medallists. (insidethegames.biz, 07 Aug 2020)

In 2019 she received the Brian Perry Waikato Regional Sports Award for Para cycling. (Sport Waikato Facebook page, 30 Jan 2020; sportwaikato.org.nz, 28 Nov 2019)

General Interest

Classification
T1 (UCI, 29 Mar 2021)

Type of Impairment
Ataxia (nzherald.co.nz, 01 Jul 2017)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (nzherald.co.nz, 01 Jul 2017)

Impairment Details
In March 2016 she sustained a brain injury after she was involved in an accident while cycling in Waikato, New Zealand. She spent six weeks in intensive care at Waikato Hospital and three months in a coma. Her impairment affects her balance [ataxia], and she also wears an eye patch to prevent double vision from a damaged eye muscle. (nzherald.co.nz, 01 Jul 2017)

General
FROM GERMANY TO NEW ZEALAND
Born in Germany she moved to New Zealand in about 1999 and gained citizenship in 2017. Before her accident in 2016, she worked for the Waikato District Health Board in New Zealand as a physiotherapist. (pedals.co.nz, 04 May 2020)

Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/eltje.malzbender.5
Athlete Website: https://www.pedals.co.nz/

Legend

:: Gold Medal Event
:: Silver Medal Event
:: Bronze Medal Event
DNF:: Did not finish

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