Spanish para-cyclist Ricardo Ten Argiles receives a watch at the UCI World Championships as the 47-year-old has both arms double amputated
Spanish para-cyclist Ricardo Ten Argiles has gone viral after receiving a watch as the winners’ prize at the 2023 UCI World Championships in Glasgow.
A luxury Tissot wristwatch would generally be a prize worthy of a champion, aside from the fact that Argiles is amputated from the wrist to both arms.
The 47-year-old dominated the competition winning gold in three separate events over the weekend and was twice presented with watches on the podium.
The likeable Spaniard handled the moment with incredible credibility as he stood on the podium and received the black and white watch contained in a flashy box donated by the event’s main sponsor.
A viral video shows the moment Argiles receives the prize and shows the world champion enjoying a friendly exchange with an official before grabbing his prize.
Spanish para-cyclist Ricardo Ten Argiles has gone viral after winning the 2023 UCI World Championships in Glasgow
The Spaniard is a double amputee and received a watch on the podium
However, Argiles was thrilled as he later posted a video of himself wearing the watch.
He holds the box in his arms and smiles at the crowd while a gold medal also hangs around his neck.
The newly crowned three-time title holder uses a modified bicycle that extends from the handlebars to strap his arms into the holds.
He is then able to focus solely on the power of his legs and has earned the status of the best male para-cyclist in the world after his recent exploits.
However, onlookers are astonished that the competition decided a watch was an appropriate prize for the cyclist and criticized the moment as “insensitive” and “very dark”.
One angry commenter said in response, “Seriously, they should be embarrassed!”.
The moment has since gone viral with Clays going viral on social media after the awkward exchange with the video spanning over 355,000 views at the time of publication.
However, it seems Argiles had no qualms with his gift and took to Twitter to show his joy at being recognized by the watch brand.
Responding online, the cyclist said: “Thank you TISSOT for believing in this awesome world of inclusion.”
The champ backed up his words with a short video which showed Clays standing beside a gushing river in Glasgow while wearing the watch on his left arm.
The person filming asked him: “Ricardo, what time is it? before the beaming Spaniard replied: “It’s world champion time” while holding the watch, strapped to his arm, facing the camera.
