Para sport notebook: Bennett headlines night of close racing at Canadian Open

EDMONTON – Paralympic Games champion Nicholas Bennett won a pair of gold medals as the Speedo Canadian Open swimming competition wrapped up Saturday at the Kinsmen Sports Centre.

Canada’s Paris 2024 Paralympic Closing Ceremony flag bearer took the multi-class 200-m freestyle in 1:59.39 about half an hour after winning the 100 breast in 1:06.84.

The three-day long course meet featured 331 swimmers representing 91 clubs from nine provinces and featured both able-bodied and Para races.

Bennett’s double “was definitely more painful than I remember,” said the 21-year-old S14 swimmer, who represents Red Deer Catalina Swim Club. Bennett took a long break in the fall to recover and focus on his mental health.

“I’d been ‘on’ for two years so I definitely just needed that rest. The mental health aspect behind swimming is so much more serious than people really imagine for sure,” Bennett said. “I just wanted to race as fast as I can, tired, and a lot of racing I did was for different race plans to see if I can incorporate that when I’m actually in shape and on the world stage.”

Bennett was also atop the podium Friday, taking the multi-class 100-m butterfly in 59.07 after winning the 200-m individual medley Thursday in 2:09.73. He was one of several multiple medallists from the Paralympic Program.

Paris Paralympian Reid Maxwell of Edmonton Keyano Swim Club won the men’s multi-class 50-m freestyle in a personal best 28.06 Saturday. On Friday, the S8 swimmer won the 400-m freestyle multi-class final in a time of 4:27.30, ahead of Paris 2024 Paralympic teammate Alex Elliot. A silver medallist in the 400 in Paris, the 17-year-old also took the 100-m backstroke Friday in 1:10.90.

Shelby Newkirk also completed a double Saturday, winning the multi-class 50-m freestyle in 34.86 after finishing second in the 100 breast at 2:01.20 behind Ali Diehl of Prince Albert Sharks. The 28-year-old, swimming as an S6/SB5, also won the multi-class 100-m backstroke – her Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medal event – Friday in 1:25.05.

Wheelchair Basketball Canada announces award winners

Wheelchair Basketball Canada (WBC) announced its major award winners and confirmed its Hall of Fame inductees during the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League (CWBL) Final in Montreal on Saturday.

Following standout performances qualifying for and in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Patrick Anderson and Kady Dandeneau won the titles of Male and Female Athlete of the Year. Meanwhile, up-and-coming star Ibrahim Odza was recognized as Junior Athlete of the Year. Chantal L’Écuyer (Leadership Excellence) and Sam Graham (True Sport Award) were recognized for their incredible contributions to the sport at the community level.

The Hall of Fame welcomed three new members: Paul Bowes (Coach), Joey Johnson (Athlete) and Anne Lachance (Classifier).

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CIVA, Aigles de Valleyfield golden on Day 4 of CWBL Final

Ben Palmer had a team-high 23 points as Centre d’integration a la vie active topped the Alberta Northern Lights 67-45 in the Division 1 gold medal game on Sunday at the CWBL Final.

Palmer added 11 rebounds and two assists, while Nic Palmer had 16 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Jonathan Vermette, a tournament all-star, chipped in 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

“That feels good. We’ve had a really good team for years and years but were never able to go the whole way and win gold, so it’s nice to be able to do it finally,” said Vermette. “I think we’ve been very consistent the whole tournament. Both defensively, our shots – everything. Our little details were taken care of the whole tournament correctly.”

Ben Moronchuk, tournament MVP, led the Northern Lights with 20 points and nine rebounds. Bradon Doll, an all-star, added 15 points and seven rebounds.

The Aigles de Valleyfield topped 46 North 58-44 to capture gold in the Division 2 final.

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