Paralympic newsletter: Canada wins 2 more bronze, plus who to watch this weekend
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Canada won 2 more medals at the Paralympics
After Canadians captured a pair of bronze medals on Day 1 in Paris, track cyclists Keely Shaw and Alexandre Hayward each added a bronze on Friday. Shaw’s came in the women’s C4 3,000m individual pursuit — the same event she took bronze in at the 2021 Games in Tokyo — while Hayward reached the podium in the men’s C3 3,000m individual pursuit in his Paralympic debut.
Other key Canadian results:
* After swimmer Aurélie Rivard won her 11th Paralympic medal on Thursday, no Canadians reached the podium in the pool today. Co-flag-bearer Katarina Roxon finished eighth in the women’s 100m breaststroke SB8 while Sebastian Massabie was fifth in the men’s 100m freestyle S4.
* Humboldt bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann made his Paralympic debut in rowing. The 24-year-old, who took up the sport less than two years ago after he was paralyzed from the waist down in the horrific 2018 collision that killed many of his junior-hockey teammates, finished last in his heat. He’ll return Saturday at 4:10 a.m. ET for the repechage round. For more on Wassermann’s story, watch this video.
* The Canadian wheelchair rugby team improved to 1-1 in group play by defeating Germany 54-47. Canadian star Zak Madell scored a game-high 28 tries after notching 31 in Thursday’s three-point loss to the second-ranked United States. Canada, ranked fifth, closes out the group stage Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET against No. 3 Japan, which beat the U.S. today to improve to 2-0. The top two teams in each group advance to Sunday’s semifinals. The medal games are on Monday.
* The Canadian men’s wheelchair basketball team opened with a 83-68 victory over France. Colin Higgins poured in 38 points for Canada, while co-flag-bearer Pat Anderson put up a triple-double with 31 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists. Canada, trying to improve on its eighth-place finish at the 2021 Paralympics, faces back-to-back bronze medallist Great Britain on Saturday at 6:45 a.m. ET before completing group play Monday at 10 a.m. ET vs. Germany. Under the new eight-team tournament format, everyone advances to the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
* Canada’s women’s goalball team fell to 1-1 in group play with a 2-1 loss to Japan. All eight teams advance to the quarterfinals, so Canada will be playing for seeding when it closes out the group stage against South Korea on Sunday at 4:30 a.m. ET. The quarterfinals are on Tuesday.
*Second-ranked women’s individual BC4 boccia player Alison Levine defeated her Ukrainian opponent to finish 2-1 in pool play and advance to the quarterfinals as the second-place finisher in her group. Levine faces a tough quarterfinal matchup on Saturday at 2:45 p.m. ET when she takes on top-ranked Leidy Chica Chica of Colombia, who won all three of her games in the other group. The semifinals and bronze-medal game are on Saturday, while the gold game is on Monday.
Here’s a full roundup of what Canada’s Paralympic athletes did today.
WATCH | Shaw captures bronze medal:
Keely Shaw of Midale, Sask., won the Paralympic track cycling C4 3,000m individual pursuit bronze medal Friday in Paris.
Other Canadians to watch this weekend at the Paralympics
* Wheelchair track star Brent Lakatos will race in the men’s T54 5,000m final on Saturday at 2:39 p.m. ET after placing second in his qualifying heat. The 44-year-old owns 11 Paralympic medals, tied with Rivard for the most among Canadians competing in Paris. He won four silvers at the 2021 Games in Tokyo, including in the 5,000m. Lakatos is also expected to compete in the T53 400m on Sunday (the final is at 1:55 p.m. ET) and the opening round of the T54 1,500m on Monday.
* Other Canadians going for medals in track and field include Amanda Rummery in the women’s women’s T47 400m (the final is Saturday at 3:19 p.m. ET), Julia Hanes in the women’s F34 javelin (Sunday at 1:43 p.m. ET) and Austin Smeenk in the men’s T34 100m (Monday at 4 a.m. ET).
* Saturday’s swimming medal contenders include reigning world champion Nicholas Bennett in the men’s 200m freestyle S14 (the final is at 11:51 a.m. ET) and world champ Tess Routliffe in the women’s 200m individual medley SM 7 (2:10 p.m. ET). Danielle Dorris could join Routliffe in that final after taking bronze at last year’s worlds. On Sunday, Rivard can win her 12th Paralympic medal in the women’s 100m freestyle S10, where she’s trying for her third consecutive gold (the final is at 11:51 a.m. ET). Bennett should contend again in Monday’s men’s 100m breaststroke SB14 after taking silver at last year’s worlds (the final is at 12:13 p.m. ET).
* Track cyclist Mel Pemble goes for a medal in Saturday’s women’s C1-3 500m time trial. The 2018 Winter Paralympian in alpine skiing switched to cycling and won a time-trial bronze at the 2023 world championships before upgrading to silver last year. The six fastest riders in qualifying at 4 a.m. ET advance to the final at 7:35 a.m. ET.
* The Canadian women’s wheelchair basketball team (0-1) faces Great Britain on Saturday at 4:30 a.m. ET before wrapping up group play Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET vs. Spain. All eight teams advance to the quarterfinals on Wednesday. Canadian star Kady Dandeneau scored a team-high 28 points in Thursday’s 70-65 loss to China. Canada placed fifth at the 2021 Paralympics and the most recent world championship.
* Canada’s No. 1-ranked women’s sitting volleyball team (1-0) plays Brazil on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET before finishing its group slate Monday at noon ET vs. Rwanda. The top two teams in each group advance to the semifinals on Thursday.
* Canadians could reach the podium in both the men’s and women’s PTS5 triathlon events on Sunday at 6:20 a.m. ET and 6:35 a.m. ET, respectively. Stefan Daniel is ranked No. 1 in the men’s and has won silver and bronze at the Paralympics, while Kamylle Frenette finished fourth in the women’s race at the 2021 Paralympics and 2023 world championships. Leanne Taylor is a contender in the women’s PTWC triathlon at 2:20 a.m. ET.
WATCH | Setting up an action-packed weekend with Stefanie Reid:
2-time Paralympian joins Brian Hnatiw to talk about Canada’s first two medals at these Games, and some Canadians to keep an eye on.
More on the Paralympics
If you’re wondering what PTS5, SB8 and other such event designations mean, they’re disability classifications. Here’s a handy guide to how they work in each sport. Classification can be a controversial aspect of the Paralympics, with some athletes even accused of “class doping.” Read more about the fraught system in this story by CBC Sports’ Myles Dichter.
If you missed Tuesday’s newsletter, here’s our primer on the Paralympics with some fun facts about the Canadian team.
For more stories, video and live streams, visit CBC Sports’ Paris 2024 website and Paris 2024 app.
How to watch the Paralympics
Go here to choose the live events you want to watch and find replays and highlights. See the full streaming schedule here.
You can also catch the action in Paris via three daily live shows on the CBC TV network, CBC Gem and CBC Sports’ Paris 2024 website and app. There’s Petro-Canada Paris Prime, hosted by Scott Russell, at 2 p.m. ET; Toyota Paralympic Games Primetime, hosted by Russell and Stef Reid, at 8 p.m. in your local time zone; and Canadian Tire Paralympics Tonight, hosted by Devin Heroux and Roseline Filion, at 11:30 p.m. local.
Digital coverage will also include daily episodes of Rise and Stream, highlighting the must-see events and Canadians to follow, and Hot Takes, featuring interviews with athletes and analysts. Both shows are available on the Paris 2024 site and on CBC Sports’ YouTube channel, Facebook, Instagram and X. Here’s more on CBC’s Paralympics coverage.
