Spanish para-cyclist Ricardo Ten Argiles is presented with a watch at the UCI World Championships despite the 47-year-old being a double amputee on both arms
Spanish paracyclist Ricardo Ten Argiles is offered a watch at the UCI World Championships despite the 47-year-old having a double amputation on both arms
Spanish paracyclist Ricardo Ten Argiles has gone viral after being awarded a watch as a winner’s prize at the 2023 UCI World Championships in Glasgow.
A luxury Tissot wristwatch would normally be a prize fit for a champion, apart from the fact that Argiles is amputated from the wrist on both arms.
The 47-year-old dominated the competition during the competition, as he won gold in three separate events over the weekend and got a watch on the podium twice.
The friendly Spaniard handled the moment with astonishing credibility as he stood on the podium and was presented with the black and white watch in a flashy box, courtesy of the championship’s main sponsor.
A viral video shows the moment Argiles receives the award and shows the world champion enjoying a friendly exchange with an official before collecting his award.
Spanish paracyclist Ricardo Ten Argiles has gone viral after winning the 2023 UCI World Championships in Glasgow
The Spaniard is a double amputee and was presented with a watch on stage
However, Argiles was delighted when he later posted a video of him wearing the watch
He holds the box in his arms and smiles at the crowd as a gold medal also hangs around his neck.
The newly crowned triple title holder rides a modified bicycle that stretches from the handles to tie his arms in holds.
He can then concentrate exclusively on riding with his legs and, after his recent achievements, has achieved the status of the best men’s paracyclist in the world.
Spectators are surprised, however, that the competition decided a watch was an appropriate prize for the cyclist and dismissed the moment as “insensitive” and “very dark.”
An angry commenter replied, “Seriously, they should be ashamed!”
The moment has since gone viral with Argiles going viral on social media following the awkward exchange with the video racking up more than 355,000 views at the time of publication.
However, it seems Argiles had no qualms about his gift and instead took to Twitter to show his delight at being recognized by the watch brand.
In an online response, the cyclist said, “Thank you TISSOT for believing in this super world of inclusion.”
The champion backed up his words with a short video showing Argiles standing next to a running river in Glasgow while wearing the watch on his left arm.
The filmmaker asked him, “Ricardo, what time is it?” before the beaming Spaniard replied: ‘It’s world champion time’ as he held up the watch strapped to his arm for the camera.