Armless cyclist wins bizarre prize

A video clip of the prize ceremony has been viewed close to four million times

Ricardo Ten Argiles, a 47-year-old Spanish Paralympic cyclist who has had both of his arms amputated around the elbows, was presented with two high-end wristwatches after triumphing at the 2023 UCI World Championships last weekend.

Ten was crowned champion in three separate categories at the event in Glasgow, Scotland, which finished on Sunday. But it wasn’t his exploits on the track that caught the attention of people online. During the trophy ceremony, the Spanish cyclist was presented with two wristwatches from the event’s sponsor, Tissot.

A brief video showing Ten being awarded one of the timepieces has gone viral online, reaching close to 4 million views as of Tuesday evening.

And evidently being a good sport, Ten has even poked fun at the situation in a video he posted online soon afterwards, which shows him wearing one of the watches around his bicep.

Not a very well thought gift. pic.twitter.com/hRhaTfnGsE

— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) August 14, 2023

“Ricardo, what time is it?” asks a person off camera. “World champion time!” responds Ten with a gleeful smile.

He added in a social media post: “I am very happy to have won two Tissots, one for each arm but above all for what it means for Paralympic cycling, total inclusion of the sport at the highest level.”

Ten was just eight years old when doctors amputated his arms and left leg after he was electrocuted by high voltage wires. He suffered third degree burns to 75% of his body.

Ten secured five medals in total at the Scottish event, which took place between August 3 and 13. He races in the C1 category, which is for cyclists with greater physical disabilities.

He will next race in the European Championships and is expected to contend for a place at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.