Canada’s Smeenk reaches men’s T34 800m final at worlds with record performances
Canadian wheelchair racer Austin Smeenk continued his strong showing at the World Para-Athletics Championships in Paris on Sunday, reaching the final of the men’s T34 800 meters with a record performance.
The 26-year-old from Oakville, Ont., set a time of one minute and 38.10 seconds to finish second in his series, 1.33 seconds off the US record he set in May. Smeenk had the second fastest time of the eight qualifiers, as Thailand’s Chaiwat Rattana set a world championship record in 1:37.88.
Smeenk, a two-time Paralympian, will be seeking his third medal in Paris after taking silver in the men’s T34 100m and bronze in the T34 400m. Monday’s final is scheduled for 5:40 a.m. ET.
Canada refused gold due to disqualification
Canada looked set to win gold in the final round of the penultimate day, but a disqualification knocked the Canadians off the 4x100m universal relay podium.
Smeenk, Bianca Borgella, Zachary Gingras and Marissa Papaconstantinou initially finished first with a time of 47.24, but after assessment it was determined that Smeenk started the final stage before Gingras could complete the final switch.
The gold medal was awarded to Japan, with Great Britain and Brazil taking bronze and silver respectively. The event is for athletes of all handicap classifications.
“I think we just showed that Canada is fully capable of being on top of the podium in the relay,” said Papaconstantinou. “Hopefully next year in Paris we can show the world that we belong there.”
The Canadian relay team reached the final earlier in the day in a national record time (48.15).
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Watch the eighth highlights of the World Para Athletics Championships from Paris.
In other Canadian results, Victoria’s Cody Fournie finished fifth in the men’s T51 100m final with a time of 22.94, while Quebec City’s Anthony Bouchard placed eighth in the men’s T52 100m final (18.89) .
Riech is scheduled to compete at 12:52 p.m. ET, with Victoria native Liam Stanley also in the finals.
Edmonton’s Nathalie Thirsk will attempt to make it to the podium in the final of the women’s T38 400m, which follows at 1:20 p.m. ET.
Watch live coverage of the World Para Athletics Championships on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem. Coverage from Paris continues Monday at 3 a.m. ET with Day 9’s morning session.
