Franz-Josef Lässer Targets World Championship Glory and Record-Breaking “Para-meets-Elite” Project

For para-athlete Franz-Josef Lässer, the sporting highlight of the year is coming up at the end of August: the Para World Championships in Ronse, Belgium. The 24-year-old is already using the opportunity to draw attention to an ambitious project for the coming year.

The young Stattegger aims to break the UCI Para Hour World Record (Class C5) as well as Matthias Brändle’s Austrian elite record – financed through a crowdfunding campaign.

Franz-Josef Lässer: the World Cup in Belgium

The individual time trial will take place in Ronse on August 29th starting at 10:00 a.m., and the C5 category road race will take place on August 31st starting at 2:30 p.m. “My goal for both races is clearly a World Championship medal. However, due to my back problems, my focus is on the time trial because the seat post makes me more stable, and the shorter race duration works in my favor,” says Lässer.

For para-athlete Franz-Josef Lässer, the sporting highlight of the year is approaching at the end of August: the Para World Championships in Ronse, Belgium.

The Styrian arrives at the World Championships in top form: At the elite national track championships, he won four medals, including gold in the 4,000m individual pursuit. “I’ve been training really well, I’ve just been on a high-altitude training camp, and I haven’t had any illness-related absences this season. But the younger opponents are getting stronger and stronger, especially 19-year-old American Elouan Gardon, who won the time trial at the first World Cup in Ostend with a significant lead. But I’ve been working hard and I’m excited to see if I can catch up with him and Daniel Abraham Gebru (Paralympic champion and reigning world champion).”

Franz-Josef: From World Cup highlight to world record

The hourly world record has long been a goal for Franz-Josef Lässer. “After putting in so much sweat, blood, and tears in preparation for the 4,000 meters on the track in the run-up to the Paralympics in Paris, attempting to break the hourly world record is the logical next step.”

The young Stattegger plans to surpass both the UCI hourly world record in the C5 para class and the Austrian elite record of Matthias Brändle – financed through a crowdfunding campaign

While preparing for Svetlana Moshkovich’s handbike record in Grenchen, he gained valuable experience. “There are definitely nicer things you can do in an hour. But just last week, my C5 opponent, William Bjergfelt, broke the record. The new Para benchmark is now 51.471 km. Together with my coach, I’ve set another goal: we also want to break Matthias Brändle’s Austrian elite record (51.852 km).”

“Para-meets-Elite” in 2026

The project is scheduled to be implemented in August or September 2026. “For me, Para-meets-Elite would be a cross-border, inclusive record for everyone. We know that it could theoretically work.

To get the project off the ground now, in addition to targeted training, we need to raise a significant budget for UCI processing, track rental, track training, aero tests, equipment, coaching, and travel expenses. I’ve now launched a crowdfunding campaign for this. I’m incredibly excited about the process and the project. The entire project will also be accompanied by a video shoot. However, without support, it will be difficult. Therefore, I’m grateful to everyone who supports the project,” Franz-Josef Lässer concludes.

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(Featured image by Markus Spiske via Unsplash)

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