Para sport notebook: On the road again

From Rio to Wollongong, Australia, Canadian Para athletes in boccia, sitting volleyball, Para ice hockey, Para cycling and Para triathlon are in all four corners of the world as they compete or prepare for upcoming major international events.

Canada wins three medals at Cali 2025 Americas Regional Championships in boccia

Paralympians Lance Cryderman of Val Caron, Ont., and BC4 pairs Alison Levine and Iulian Ciobanu of Montreal won silver medals this past week at the Cali 2025 Americas Regional Championships boccia tournament in Colombia.

Levine added a bronze in individual play.

Cryderman advanced to the final in the men’s BC1 category dropping a 4-1 decision to Jose Carlos Chagas of Brazil. The Canadian went 2-1 in individual play, his only loss to Chagas, and posted a semifinal win to advance to the final.

 “The highlight for me was probably another come from behind victory in the semifinal,’’ said Cryderman, a Paralympian in 2000 and 2024. ‘’Another gold medal match did not go the way I would like, I felt as though I had opportunities throughout that match and with a few subtle changes, the outcome could’ve been a lot different.’’

In BC4 pairs, the Canadians were 1-1 in the prelims. They downed Brazil 5-4 in the semis before a 5-2 loss to Colombia in the gold medal game.

In her individual tournament, Levine, battling illness all week and forfeiting two matches during the week still advanced to the third-place match in women’s BC4. She defeated Karla Manuel Enriquez from Mexico to earn the bronze.

‘’This is the first time in my career that I’ve had to compete while sick, and it was definitely a challenge,’’ she said about her gutsy effort. ‘’I’ve never had to forfeit before, but I know it was the right decision to rest enough to be able to compete for the bronze.’’

Full game stats at: Boccia World

Watch matches on demand.

Canadian women off to strong start at sitting volleyball World Cup

Canada defeated Germany 25-29, 25-21, 25-18 and Italy 25-20, 19-25, 25-21, 26-24 to open women’s competition at the sitting volleyball World Cup taking place this week in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 

On the men’s side, the Canadians lost their opener to Poland 31-29, 25-13, 23-25, 25-23 then fell to the U.S. 25-17, 25-23, 25-16.

Six women’s teams and 14 men’s teams are at the tournament. The World Cup is a key qualification pathway to the 2026 WPV Sitting Volleyball World Championships, which will take place in Hangzhou, China, next July, and an important competition for teams preparing for the LA 2028 Paralympic Games. 

The Canadian women made history last year at the Paralympics in Paris earning a bronze medal, a first for Canada in the sport at the Games. This week’s roster includes Paralympians Jolan Wong, Heidi Peters, Amber Skyrpan, Katelyn Wright, Jennifer McCreesh and Allison Lang.

Canadian rosters

Live streaming

Stefan Daniel looks to repeat as world champion

Two-time Paralympic medallist, and six-time world champion, Stefan Daniel of Calgary looks to successfully defend his title at the 2025 World Triathlon Championship Finals in Wollongong, Australia, October 15-19.

The Calgarian seized his sixth World Triathlon Para Championship title one year ago in Spain.  

Daniel has produced another solid season in 2025 with a victory at the World Triathlon Series event in Montreal, a silver at the World Triathlon Para Cup in Magog, Que., and bronze at the Series season opener in Japan.

He is currently ranked number-two in the world in the men’s PTS5 category. His race in Wollongong is on Saturday October 18.

Live streaming

Canadian power trio heads to Para cycling world track championships in Rio

Double Paralympic Games medallist Kate O’Brien of Calgary, multiple world champion Mel Pemble of Victoria and rising star Jessica Law of Vancouver are Canada’s entries for the Para cycling world track championships set for Thursday to Sunday (October 16-19) in Rio.

O’Brien, a former Olympic track cyclist, was the 500-m world champion in 2020 and followed with silver at the next two worlds in the women’s C4 (conventional bicycle) category.

Pemble, a C3 cyclist and dual-sport Paralympian, is back to defend her 2024 podium finishes, having earned silver in the time trial and bronze in the Omnium last year. She was the Omnium world champ in 2022 and 2023.

Law continues to build momentum following her recent appearance at the 2025 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships in August, adding valuable experience to her growing list of Canadian accomplishments as a C5 cyclist.

“The team’s focus for this world championships is definitely to perform,’’ said national team coach Sebastien Travers. ‘’We’ll also use this opportunity to evaluate our gaps and optimize our preparation for the next Games with all the event changes proposed by the UCI to date.’’

Visit the UCI Race Hub for results and streaming info.

Canada’s Para ice hockey team in Czechia for tournament

Greg Westlake makes his official return to the national Para ice hockey team at the   International Para Hockey (IPH) Cup, Oct. 20-26 in Ostrava, Czechia.  Hockey Canada announced its 19 player roster which also includes Paralympians Tyler McGregor, Dominic Cozzolino, Tyrone Henry, Liam Hickey and several others.

Three goaltenders, six defencemen and 10 forwards were selected by new head coach Boris Rybalka.

“This is an exciting time for our program,” said Rybalka. “Our staff and players have been working hard since the world championship in Buffalo last spring to get prepared for the 2025-26 season.

‘’We know this is just the beginning of the journey to the 2026 Paralympic Games, and we’re excited to grow, get better and develop as a group while facing four tough opponents in Czechia.”

Canada opens against arch-rival USA on October 20  followed by preliminary round games against China, Czechia and Italy. The semis are on October 25 and the medal matches October 26. Here is the full schedule.

Visit Hockey Canada Para hockey info hub for results and streaming information.