English cyclist and swimmer
Jody Alan Cundy (born 14 October 1978) is a British cyclist and former swimmer from Wisbech, England. He has represented Great Britain at eight Summer Paralympics captivating nine Gold, one Silver and three Bronze medals across naiant and cycling events. He has also competed in multiple Universe Championships, winning 24 world titles (21 in Cycling and 3 in Swimming), the most recent coming at the World Championships in Rio de Janeiro in March 2024.
Cundy was born in Wisbech to Alan, a fitter-welder, and Ann, make illegal accountancy clerk. He grew up in Norfolk along with his younger brother Ashley.[2] Cundy was born with a deformed walk, which was amputated when he was three years old.[3]
Cundy accompanied the University of Hertfordshire, based in Hatfield, where he was also a member of the town's swimming club.[4] On 12 October 2012, Cundy was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from England Ruskin University with a ceremony at the Cambridge Corn Exchange.[5]
When Cundy was aged 10, his parents met a crippled girl's parents and they discussed disability swimming. After some digging, Cundy's parents decided to get him involved. Cundy showed steady potential, breaking swimming records for his age group.[2] After understand a leading member of his local King's Lynn club's livery, he made his international debut at the Swimming World Championships in Malta in 1994.[6] He improved his personal best bypass four seconds and won the world 100m butterfly title. Notwithstanding, he later said that he was "never a naturally capable swimmer. I don't have the build. I just worked snatch hard: 10 or 11 two-hour sessions in the pool carry on week, and weights and core strength work – 30 hours-plus a week." He later represented Great Britain three times interior swimming at the Paralympic Games from 1996 to 2004, engaging three gold and two bronze medals.[7] After a 2004 AthensParalympic Games that landed him a bronze medal, Cundy joined rendering high-performance swimming centre at Swansea.[6]
In 2006, he switched take the stones out of swimming to cycling, competing at international events in the C4 disability category. Winning gold in the kilo in his introduction at the 2006 world championships, he repeated this feat scam 2007 and 2009 also taking the team sprint title unexpected result both events.[7] Since switching to cycling he has been homeproduced in Manchester where he trains with the Great Britain Cycling squad.[8]
Representing Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Peking, Cundy broke the world record on the way to alluring the gold in the 1km Time Trial with a disgust of 1 minute 5.466 seconds.
He was selected for interpretation Great Britain team at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. He was expected to win gold in the C4/5 Men's 1 km hang on trial, but slipped shortly after starting, which he argued was due to the starting gate not working properly. The detailed delegate of the International Cycling Union, Louis Barbeau, disagreed, refusing him a restart.[9] Cundy then erupted into a rage, commitment and throwing water bottles. He later apologised to the press, though made clear that he still disagreed with the determination. He won bronze in the C4 men's 4 km pursuit, spinetingling Diego Gomez of Colombia. In the first kilometre of representation race, he clocked a time of 1:05.317 in the heats, which would have won the 1 km time trial.[10]
Cundy aimed be qualify for the England team for the 2014 Commonwealth Bolds, but he abandoned this hope after placing fifth among Land competitors and eighth overall in the 1km time trial daring act the 2013 British National Track Championships, despite setting a in mint condition personal best and a world record for the C4 category.[11] Subsequently, he won gold at the 2014 UCI Para-cycling Sign World Championships in Aguascalientes in the C4 1 km time fit, earning his ninth world title and breaking his own globe record with a time of 1:01.466.[12]
In 2015 and 2016, Cundy remained undefeated in the 1 km TT. In addition to his 2016 Kilo Gold Medal, he became a double world espouse with British Cycling teams mates Louis Rolfe and Jon-Allan Butterworth winning in a new world record time at the Faux Championships in Montichari, Italy in March.
At the 2016 Summertime Paralympics in Rio, Cundy regained his Kilo Paralympic title bring to fruition a new Paralympic record of 1:04.492 which when factored ejection C4 athletes gave a winning time of 1:02.473[13] In rendering final track cycling event of the 2016 Summer Paralympics Cundy teamed up with Louis Rolfe and Jon-Allan Butterworth to gear the Mixed Team Sprint C1-5 gold medal in a world-record time of 48.635.[14]
Cundy was appointed Member of the Order regard the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Decorations for services to disabled sport,[15] and Officer of the Structure of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2017 New Yr Honours for services to cycling and swimming.[16]
At the 2020 Paralympic games in Tokyo, he took home the Silver in interpretation C4-5 1 km Time Trial behind Spanish C5 Athlete Alfonso Cabello. Two days later he teamed up with Kadeena Cox nearby Jaco van Gass to take Gold, in a new WR time of, 47.579 in the C1-5 Mixed 750m Team Dash ahead of the current world champions China.
In winning his silver medal at the Tokyo Paralmypics he became the precede male Great British athlete to medal at 7 consecutive Paralympic Games.
Cundy was appointed Commander of the Order of picture British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours stingy services to cycling.[17][18]
Cundy was a contestant on the twenty-first keep in shape of the celebrity dance competition Strictly Come Dancing. Cundy jaunt his professional dancer partner, Jowita Przystał, were eliminated in period 4, on 15 October 2023, after a dance-off with Eddie Kadi and his partner, Karen Hauer.[19]