Canada’s Para cycling stars brought home seven medals from the UCI Para Cycling Road World Championships in Italy, including four golds, two silvers and one bronze. Toronto’s Shelley Gautier won two gold medals, Tristen Chernove earned both a gold and a silver medal and Michael Sametz brought home his second consecutive gold medal. Ross Wilson brought home silver and Alex Hyndman claimed bronze in their events. Overall, Canada finished the 2018 world championships ranked fifth overall by world titles.
The national women’s sitting volleyball team achieved great success at the 2018 World Paravolley Sitting Volleyball World Championships in the Netherlands in July. The ninth-ranked Canadians went 2-1 in round robin play and beat the host team from the Netherlands in quarterfinals to finish seventh overall. This is the best-ever result for this team at the World Championships.
Canada continues to dominate in the pool, most recently at the Pan Pacific Para-Swimming Championships in Cairns, Australia. Aurélie Rivard of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., broke her own world record in the women’s 400-metre freestyle S10.
In Spain this month, Canada capped the CPISRA World Games for athletes with cerebral palsy with 14 trips to the podium to finish third in the overall medal standings with 19 gold, 15 silver and four bronze for 38 total.
Two-time track and field Paralympian Jon Dunkerley came out on top at the International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Cup held in Magog, Quebec. In just his second triathlon season, Dunkerley won the men’s PTVI category in 1:06:10. Fellow Canadians Lyne-Marie Bilodeau (1:42:46), Kamylle Frenette (1:10:22) and Jessica Tuomela (1:12:52) raced uncontested in the women’s PTS2, PTS5 and PTVI categories and added to Canada’s medal count.
At the GIO 2018 IWRF Wheelchair Rugby World Championships in Sydney, Australia, Canada fought hard and came in 6th place overall. The team, a mix of veterans and new players competing in their first world championships together, competed under new head coach Patrick Cote and new assistant coach (and five-time Paralympian) David Willsie.
In Edmonton, Stefan Daniel claimed gold in the men’s standing division at the World Para Triathlon Series event. Jessica Toumeala and her guide Laurent Babineau also won gold in the women’s visually impaired category. In just her third race, rookie Kamylle Frenette won a silver medal in the women’s PTS5 event and Jon Dunkerley and guide James Cook claimed bronze in the men’s visually impaired race.
And, currently competing at the BISFed 2018 World Boccia Championships in Liverpool is Team Canada. The team includes Phillipe Lord, Eric Bussière, Alison Levine, Marco Dispaltro, Iulian Ciobanu and Hanif Mawji. Go Canada go!
It’s been a busy summer so far, but a great summer to be a Canadian Para athlete!
You can follow Team Canada on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram! @CDNParalympics
Feature Photo: Kevin Bogetti-Smith/Wheelchair Rugby Canada
