New chapter written in Canadian Paralympic Movement
GATINEAU, Que. – The house where Canada’s vast and varied history resides hosted one of the biggest announcements in Canadian Paralympic sport on Wednesday. Beginning in 2024 at the Paralympic Games in Paris, Canadian medal winners will receive performance bonuses for the first time.
Canadians on the podium in Para nordic and Para alpine skiing
Mark Arendz of Hartsville, PEI, an 11-time Paralympic medallist, led a triple podium Canadian performance with gold in the men’s standing 10 kilometre cross country race Wednesday at the season opening Para nordic World Cup competition in Toblach, Italy.
Brittany Hudak of Prince Albert, Sask. added silver in the women’s 10 kilometre standing event while Derek Zaplotinsky of Smoky Lake, Alta. collected a bronze in the men’s sitting 10 kilometre.
Bell Let’s Talk: The mental health ‘’roller coaster’’ of Paralympians
This past summer at the world championships in Glasgow, Scotland, Nathan Clement became a world champion in Para cycling for the first time. Yet in what was expected to be a great moment of celebration, Clement struggled to compose himself in the media mixed zone.
Eriksson/Smith, Guimond repeat medallists at Para alpine World Cup
VEYSONNAZ, Switzerland – Canadians Kalle Eriksson and his guide Sierra Smith continued their stunning start to their Para alpine World Cup careers on Tuesday with the silver medal in the men’s giant slalom for visually impaired at the circuit’s third stop.
Meanwhile two-time Paralympic Games medallist Alexis Guimond of Gatineau, Que., marched to a seventh medal in seven races this season with bronze in the men’s standing GS.
Sixth podium in six World Cup Para alpine races for Canada’s Alexis Guimond
VEYSONNAZ, Switzerland – Two-time Paralympic Games medallist Alexis Guimond continued to display consistency this season on the Para alpine World Cup circuit on Monday with a bronze medal in the men’s standing giant slalom at this winter’s third stop.
Guimond, from Gatineau, Que., has reached the podium in his six World Cup races this season with one gold, two silver and three bronze.
Gautier and Clement conclude opening World Cup on the podium
Photo UCI: start of men's H3 including Canadians Charles Moreau and Joey Desjardins
ADELAIDE, Australia – Shelley Gautier of Niagara Falls, Ont. and Nathan Clement of West Vancouver each collected their second medal Wednesday as Canada concluded a very successful season opening Para cycling World Cup road event.
The Canadians finished the three-day competition with nine medals (one gold, four silver and four bronze).
Three more medals for Canadian riders at Para cycling World Cup
ADELAIDE, Australia – Canada’s Para cyclists are trumpeting great promise ahead of the Paralympic Games as they added three more medals in the road races on Tuesday at the season opening World Cup.
Alexandre Hayward of Quispamsis, N.B. took silver in the men’s C3 event after winning gold on Monday in the time trial. Lowell Taylor of Lethbridge, Alta. and his pilot Ed Veal of Toronto notched silver in the men’s tandem while Carla Shibley and Meghan Brown of Calgary took bronze in the women’s tandem.
Canada’s Alexandre Hayward wins gold at Para cycling road World Cup
ADELAIDE, Australia – Canada’s Para cyclists opened the Paralympic Games season with a bang on Monday as Alexandre Hayward of Quispamsis, N.B. won the gold medal in the men’s C3 individual time trial at the year’s first World Cup.
Hayward, 26, clocked the 15.6 kilometre ride in 19 minutes and 04.94 seconds. Two-time Paralympic track cycling champion David Nicholas of Australia took the silver finishing more than 11 seconds back, and Eduardo Santas Asensio of Spain was third.
Important tests for Paralympic Games coming to Canada in 2024
While entries have yet to be finalized, there could be an occasion to get a taste of this summer’s Paralympic Games with international and national events scheduled to take place in Canada.
In addition to those opportunities to measure their progress leading into the Games, for some athletes team trials will determine whether they get their ticket to Paris 2024.
Here are some scheduled events:
April 26-May 5: Défi Sportif Altergo, Montreal
Canada chasing spots for this summer's Paralympic Games
With the 2024 Paralympic Games set to officially get underway on August 28 in Paris, it is getting down to crunch time for athletes to assure their presence in the French capital – especially for three Canadian teams.
In 2023, Canada qualified for the Games in women’s goalball and women’s sitting volleyball. This spring, both the women’s and men’s wheelchair basketball teams and the wheelchair rugby squad are headed to last chance tournaments.