Canada’s Brianna Hennessy chasing Paralympic dream in 2 sports after life-altering injury

Brianna Hennessy’s journey is a true testament to the power of sport.

An athlete all her life, Hennessy leaned on that background to move forward after a life-altering injury. While elite athletes dedicate their lives to their craft, she saw sport take on an even greater importance after tragedy struck.

The Ottawa native was 30 years old when she was hit by a speeding Toronto cab in 2014. Diagnosed tetraplegic (also known as quadriplegic), Hennessy regained some mobility in her upper body. She excelled in boxing, hockey and rugby growing up, developing a mental fortitude that became essential after her injury.

“I grew up as an elite athlete. It’s all I’ve ever known; it’s been the biggest part of my identity. When I had my accident, those are the tools that I pulled from my tool belt to keep going, to keep fighting,” Hennessy told CBC Sports. “That’s what stems my survival story, that resilience and tenacity.”

The now 38-year-old represents Canada in two sports and continues to reach new heights in both, competing in Para canoe and wheelchair rugby. But for Hennessy, being an athlete is about so much more than medals, going far beyond winning or losing.

“That’s where I have my passion and my purpose to get out of bed every single day of my life now, to just feel a little bit like my old self. It’s the only time I can feel kind of alive again or normal,” Hennessy said.

She was introduced to wheelchair rugby two years after her injury by the Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre, beginning a crucial chapter on her road to recovery. She quickly went on to make the Ontario provincial team and became the lone Canadian woman to play on an American squad with the Tampa Bay Generals.

Hennessy’s quick success continued on the water. She picked up Para canoe in 2020 when the pandemic impacted team sports, a suggestion from Canadian Paralympic wheelchair rugby player Patrice Dagenais. She began working with coach Joel Hazzan at the Ottawa River Canoe Club and was soon paddling toward the Tokyo Paralympics, making her Games debut less than two years after entering the sport.

“The only thing that I knew about myself was that when I do get under high pressure in sports, at whatever level, and my adrenaline kicks in, then I can rely on my competitive spirit. The only small part of confidence that I had going into Tokyo was that I could rely on that,” Hennessy said.

While she didn’t reach the Paralympic podium, finishing less than two seconds away, it was clear the future was bright. Hennessy’s results in her world championship debut one year later confirmed that potential in front of a home crowd.

Para canoe races are contested in the va’a canoe (V) and kayak (K). Hennessy won silver in the women’s VL2 200 metres and followed it up with bronze in the women’s KL1 200m while Canadians cheered her on in Dartmouth, N.S.

“Her performance times [leading up to worlds] indicated that everything could go really well, but you don’t really believe it until you sort of see it,” Hazzan told CBC Sports. “So, to see it happen and go, ‘holy crap, she just won a medal at world championships’, it was pretty surreal for the first little bit.”

While winning world championship hardware in home waters was a special feeling, the moment held a much greater significance for Hennessy because of who was there to witness it — her late mom Norma.

“Having the home crowd there was unbelievable. But for me, the most memorable moment was because my mom passed away recently,” Hennessy said. “I’ve always looked up to her; she’s always been my Wonder Woman.

“That was the last event that she came to and when I was coming down that course I heard my coach in my right ear and my mom in my left.”

Hennessy is set to compete in the same two events at this year’s worlds, being held this week in Duisburg, Germany. She will open with the VL2 heats on Wednesday, followed by the KL1 heats on Thursday.

“I still feel like I’m the absolute underdog right now. I’m going up against a 10-time world champion in my canoe [Great Britain’s Emma Wiggs], and lots of them have been paddling for over a decade. I’m the newest kid on the block and I have so much to learn,” Hennessy said.

The world championships are also an opportunity for Hennessy to qualify for the Paris Games and move closer to her ultimate goal — the Paralympic podium.

“I humbly have new goals that are much greater than in Tokyo … to actually medal if not double-medal for my country,” Hennessy said.

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While Hennessy’s strong competitive drive is a central part of her identity, a symbolic gift left behind by her mom added even more fuel to her Paralympic quest.

“She left behind at Christmas an Eiffel Tower for me, just to let me know that she’d be with me in Paris,” Hennessy said. “I’m going to take her strength to Paris with me in my boat.”

‘Wheelchair rugby player at heart’

But Hennessy’s Paralympic ambitions go beyond the water, as she also hopes to reach the same level in wheelchair rugby. While the sport is mixed-gender at the Paralympic level, Hennessy was part of the first-ever Canadian women’s team earlier this year at the Women’s Cup in Paris, where it won bronze.

There has been major growth in the number of female players in recent years, with the prospect of a separate women’s Paralympic tournament — like wheelchair basketball — becoming more realistic.

Hennessy’s wheelchair rugby background helped her acclimate quickly to Para canoe, and both sports continue to complement each other. She said the cross-training benefits have led to improvements in endurance and strength, something her coaches have noticed as well.

“I think a lot of her explosiveness you can attribute to the wheelchair rugby, just how fast and hard they have to push on the court and how fast they accelerate on the court,” Hazzan said. “One of Bri’s strengths, especially in the canoe, is how fast she accelerates off the start line.”

Hennessy will look to get back on the podium in Germany as she continues to chase her Paralympic dream. But regardless of result, her story of survival has shown she can overcome any hurdles along the way.

“I always say once you believe in yourself, you become unstoppable,” Hennessy said.