Clara Brown, Paralympic cyclist from Maine, wins bronze with blue mascara and face glitter

Paralympic cyclist Clara Brown will head home to Maine from the 2024 Paris games with a bronze medal in tow.

Brown, who is from Falmouth, won bronze in the women's C1-3 road race on Saturday, winning her first Paralympic medal. She previously represented the United States in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic games.

She came in third behind Japan's Keiko Sugiura in first and Switzerland's Flurina Rigling in second.

Known for her signature makeup looks, Brown powered to her bronze win Saturday while donning bright blue mascara and face glitter on her cheeks during the race.

Here's what to know.

What is the C1-3 road race classification?

Paralympic athletes compete in different classification categories based on their functional abilities.

Cyclists are separated into different classifications by letter and number. The letter represents which event athletes are competing in: "C" stands for cycling, "H" for handbike, "T" for tricycle and "B" for blind, according to the Paralympics website .

There are five number categories for cycling, from C1-C5. Brown competes in the C1-3 category, which is for athletes whose coordination and movement are affected and who may be missing part or all of a limb, according to LEXI Global .

Who is Clara Brown?

Clara Brown is a Paralympic cyclist from Falmouth, Maine. She won a bronze medal at the 2024 games, her second Paralympics appearance.

The 28-year-old, who is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound, sustained an incomplete spinal cord injury at the C5/C6 level at age 12, according to her Team USA bio.

She often competes wearing blue mascara, and sometimes adds face glitter. During her bronze medal win, she was wearing both.

"With the glitter, I've had success. It might be my good luck charm," she said in a post on US Paracycling's Instagram .

While she participated in rowing in high school, Brown took up cycling in college. She won three gold medals, three silver and five bronze at the 2022 World Championships.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Clara Brown, Paralympic cyclist from Maine, wins bronze with blue mascara and face glitter