Hope and heartache for Canada at Para athletics evening session

PARIS – Two first-time Paralympian sprinters had different experiences in their first events on Tuesday at the 2024 Paralympic Games.

Seventeen-year-old Sheriauna Haase of Toronto produced an impressive fourth place finish in the women’s T47 100-metre equaling her Canadian record in the heats. But 21-year-old Bianca Borgella of Ottawa injured herself in the women’s T13 100 and came eighth.

In Haase’s race, Kiara Rodriguez of Ecuador took the gold in 12.04, Brittni Mason of the U.S. was second in 12.10 and Anna Grimaldi of New Zealand third in 12.20.

Haase, born missing part of her left arm, clocked 12.47 in the morning heats equalling her Canadian record set in a fifth-place finish at the world championships last year.  She went 12.53 in the final and gained plenty of experience for the 200-metre race later this week.

‘’I learned tonight that it’s good to take your time, pray, and to really just be in your own zone,’’ said Haase. ‘’I felt good about the race and I’m proud of myself. I felt like I executed what I was wanting to do.’’

Borgella pulled up at around the 30-metre mark grabbed at her left hamstring and fell down. The visually impaired runner, bravely got back up  to the cheers of the fans and reached the finish line.

She was second in her heat in 12.15 and fourth overall in the morning easing up to the finish line.

In the women’s T64 200-metre, blade runner Marissa Papaconstantinou  of Toronto was also fourth in 27.30 seconds. Kimberly Alkemade led the Netherlands to a 1-2- finish in 25.42.

‘’It was a gritty race,’’ said Papaconstantinou, at her third Paralympics. ‘’I ran a really fast corner coming around the bend but when a couple of other girls caught up to me in the last 50, I got a little tighter. I put everything out there and can’t be disappointed with that.’’

Zach Gingras of Markham, Ont., added a fifth place in the men’s T38 400-metre. A medallist at the Tokyo 2020 and the 2023 worlds, Gingras has been plagued by injuries this season which have derailed his training for the Games.

‘’That was the best I could have ran today,’’ said Gingras. ‘’There’s been a lack of practice and that definitely hit me in the last 100.’’

In the morning session, Cody Fournie of Victoria won the gold medal in the men’s T51 200-metre.