Para sport notebook: Paralympic medallist Brianna Hennessy leads Canada’s Para canoe team for world championships

OTTAWA – Paralympic Games silver medallist Brianna Hennessy leads a four-member Canadian team to the 2025 ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships running Wednesday to Sunday in Milan, Italy.

The powerhouse paddler from Ottawa has collected five medals at the last three world championships. In 2022, she took silver and bronze medals in the VL 2 and KL1 races, matched that feat in 2023 and was silver medallist for the third straight worlds last summer in the VL2. All races are 200-metres in length.

In her second Paralympic Games appearance in Paris in 2024, Hennessy took silver in the VL2.

In 2025, Hennessy hasn’t missed a beat. At the season opening World Cup this past May in Poznan, Poland, she notched gold in the VL2 and bronze in the KL1.

Also on the team are Mathieu St-Pierre of Shawinigan, Que., and Erica Scarff of Mississauga, Ont., also both two-time Paralympians and Gabriel Ferron-Bouius of Ottawa.

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Canada set for semifinal showdown with USA at Americas Cup

Team Canada punched its ticket to the semifinals with a 63-47 win over Mexico in quarterfinal action at the 2025 IWBF Americas Cup wheelchair basketball tournament in Bogotá, Colombia, on Monday.

The win earns the Senior Men’s National Team (SMNT) a spot in Tuesday’s semifinals against the United States with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. EDT/3:30 p.m. PDT. Watch live on IWBF YouTube channel.

Reed De’Aeth paced Canada’s offence with 21 points and six rebounds, while Colin Higgins contributed a double-double, posting 16 points and 13 rebounds along with four assists.

“We managed to find our rhythm shooting,” De’Aeth explained. “Our defence was a bit stronger in the third quarter, and we were able to make more shots in the second half.’’

The Americas Cup is a qualification tournament for the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships, which will take place in Ottawa, Ont., from Sept. 9–19, 2026. As the host nation, Canada has already qualified for the worlds.

First wheelchair event in Grand Slam of Curling set for Waterloo and London

Wheelchair curling is coming to the Grand Slam of Curling circuit.

The inaugural tournament starts with the preliminary round September 24-27 at the KW Granite Club in Waterloo, Ont.  Four teams are entered: Canada Red, Canada White, Great Britain and Italy.

The tournament then moves to the Western Fair Sports Centre in London for the bronze and gold medal games, taking place alongside the Grand Slam of Curling’s Masters finals Sept. 28.

Here’s the entire story of how the wheelchair curling event was landed for the London event.

“It’s very exciting to be part of this,” said three-time Paralympic Games medallist Mark Ideson of London. “I’ve been watching the Grand Slam of Curling for many years and thought it would be a really incredible experience to be out on the ice in front of the big crowd, so it’s really cool to be included as part of this.’’