By Lauren Young
Staff Writer
Jamesville Paralympic cyclist Jill Walsh won two gold medals at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Italy on Aug. 2, securing a victory in a time trial race and another in a road race.
Walsh, a retired state trooper, former runner and triathlete, won the time trail race with a time of 25:13:22 and won the road race with a time of 00:56:10.
Walsh first began competing in Paralympic cycling games in 2014 and won her first national championship that same year, followed by a silver medal in a road race and a bronze in a time trial during the world championships, according to Teamusa.org.
In 2015 she won a gold medal at the Parapan American Games in the time trial then won gold in the road race and silver in the time trial at the UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships in Switzerland. In 2016 she won two silver medals at the summer Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
According to Teamusa.org, Walsh, 55, had been a runner from an early age and began competing in triathlons in her 40s, eventually finishing an Ironman. When running became harder after being diagnosed with MS in 2010, she switched to cycling. To control her balance problems, she rides a modified road bike with two wheels on the back.
Walsh was born in Rochester and raised in Syracuse. She currently lives in Jamesville with her husband Greg and their daughter and two sons.
