Canada wraps up Lima 2019 Parapan Am Games with 60 total medals

LIMA – With Canadian Para cyclist Carla Shibley, alongside pilot Meghan Lemiski, carrying the flag for her nation at the Closing Ceremony, the Lima 2019 Parapan Am Games officially came to an end for the Canadian Parapan Am Team on Sunday evening. Canada captured a total of 60 medals in Lima – 17 gold, 21 silver, and 22 bronze. 

On the final day of competition, Canada added seven more medals. On road race day in Para cycling, flag bearers Shibley and Lemiski captured their second gold and fourth overall medal of the Games, winning the women’s tandem event in a time of 2:33:16. Annie Bouchard and pilot Evelyne Gagnon raced to second place, meaning Canada went 1-2 on the podium – the third time the four women have done so in Lima. In the tricycle T1-2 classification road race, Michael Shetler captured his second bronze medal. 

In Para badminton, Olivia Meier and Pascal Lapointe finished competition 4-0 in mixed doubles to win the gold medal. It is Canada’s first gold in the sport at a major Games, with Para badminton making its debut here. In the women’s wheelchair singles draw, Yuka Chokyu came up with the silver following a loss in the final. 

And in boccia, both the BC3 (Marylou Martineau, Eric Bussière, and Philippe Lord) and BC4 (Marco Dispaltro, Iulian Ciobanu, and Alison Levine) pairs captured bronze medals. 

“This has been an incredible Parapan Am Games for Canada, and I am so proud of each and every athlete for their performances here in Lima,” said Stephanie Dixon, chef de mission of the Lima 2019 Canadian Parapan Am Team. “I think the experience gained here will prove to be so valuable for many of our athletes. It has been a joy to watch everyone compete. Congratulations to our medallists for their very well-deserved achievements and to the entire team for their hard work and for bringing their absolute best to the Games!” 

CLICK HERE for the complete list of medals won by Canada in Lima.  
 

TOP HIGHLIGHTS:

•    Sixteen-year-old Arianna Hunsicker won the most medals at the Games – five bronze medals (four in individual events, one in a team medley event) in Para swimming. 

•    Nicholas Bennett, age 15, won four medals in the pool – three gold medals and one silver. Also with four medals are Para cyclists Carla Shibley and pilot Meghan Lemiski (two gold, one silver, one bronze). 

•    Shibley and Lemiski are one of three Para cycling tandem teams that combined for nine medals at the Games. Annie Bouchard and pilot Evelyne Gagnon captured three, while Lowell Taylor and pilot Andrew Davidson added two. 

•    In total, 16 athletes are multi-medallists (Zachary Gingras, Pascal Lapointe, Olivia Meier, Marco Dispaltro, Lowell Taylor and pilot Andrew Davidson, Carla Shibley and pilot Meghan Lemiski, Annie Bouchard and pilot Evelyne Gagnon, Michael Shetler, Nicholas Bennett, Tyson MacDonald, Krystal Shaw, Arianna Hunsicker, and Angela Marina). 

•    Medals by sport: 21 (Para swimming), 13 (Para cycling), 7 (Para athletics), 5 (Para badminton), 3 (boccia), 2 (wheelchair basketball), 2 (goalball), 2 (sitting volleyball), 2 (Para table tennis), 1 (wheelchair tennis), 1 (wheelchair rugby), 1 (Para judo). 

•    The youngest member of the Canadian Parapan Am Team, Colleen Cloetta at age 14 (born May 11, 2005), captured one bronze medal as part of the women’s 4x100m medley relay team. 

•    In total, nine teenagers won a medal at the Games (Zachary Gingras, Julie Kozun, Bryce Foster, Nicholas Bennett, Michelle Tovizi, Arianna Hunsicker, Emma Grace Van Dyk, Colleen Cloetta, and Puisand Lai). Of those, five are swimmers. 

•    At age 62, Opening Ceremony flag bearer Stephanie Chan was the oldest member of the Canadian squad to capture a medal, a bronze in Para table tennis. 

•    In their last chance to qualify for next year’s Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Canada’s wheelchair basketball teams got the job done. The women needed to finish Top 2 and won gold; the men required a Top 3 position and captured the silver. 

•    Day 5, Tuesday August 27 was Canada’s biggest medal day, winning 10 (four in Para swimming, three in Para cycling, and two in Para athletics). 

•    In total, 114 members of the Canadian Parapan Am Team are going home with a medal out of 151 athletes, pilots, and sport assistants. 

•    A total of 61 athletes (including pilots and sport assistants) are going home with their first Parapan Am Games medal. 

•    Medallists by province: 28 (Ontario), 27 (Quebec), 24 (Alberta), 20 (British Columbia), 4 (New Brunswick), 4 (Manitoba), 4 (Saskatchewan), 2 (Nova Scotia), 1 (Prince Edward Island)

For the complete results of the Canadian Parapan Am Team, please CLICK HERE.