Para sport update: Canadian sitting volleyball teams head to playoffs at world championships

Photos ParaVolley World

HANGZHOU, China – Heidi Peters of Neerlandia, Alta., hammered 29 points including 10 aces on Monday as the Canadian women completed the preliminary round with a perfect 3-0 record at the sitting volleyball world championships.

The competition is the first qualifying event for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. The winners in men’s and women’s competition get an early ticket to the Games and so far, the Canadian women are showing they are in contention.

The preliminary round at worlds determined the pairings for the knockout round with all 16 countries in both men’s and women’s competition advancing.

Kerrie Buchberger of Langenburg, Sask., added 11 points and Allison Lang of Edmonton chipped in with eight on Monday.

The Canadians, ranked second in the world and the Paralympic Games bronze medallists in Paris, didn’t lose a set in the prelims also beating fifth ranked Slovenia and Hungary.

On the men’s side, the Canadians completed their prelims at 1-2 following a 23-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-19 loss to China.

Doug Learoyd topped Canada’s scoring with 15 points while Andrew Tucker and Dariusz Symonowicz, both of Toronto, added 11 apiece.

The round of 16 gets underway Tuesday with the Canadian women (first in Pool C) playing winless France (fourth in pool D). The Canadian men (third in Pool A) face the U.S. (2-1, second in Pool B).

The championships were delayed a day. On Friday there was a one-day suspension of play as a precaution related to Typhoon Bavi.

Stefan Daniel on the podium in return to competition

Two-time Paralympic Games medallist Stefan Daniel surprised himself with the silver medal in the men’s PTS5 event on Sunday at the World Triathlon Para Series stop in Hamburg, Germany.

‘’This whole year has been about taking a step back,’’ the six-time world champion from Calgary said after Sunday’s race, his first this season. ‘’ I’ve been working, coaching and enjoying things out of triathlon.  I am still very active, but I came in today not overly fit other than going for easy runs. I just wanted to have fun doing a triathlon.’’

On Sunday the 29-year-old stayed with the lead pack through the 750-metre swim, the technically demanding 20-kilometre bike course and the five-kilometre run for a total time of 57:52.

Daniel’s longtime rival, Germany’s Martin Schulz, edged the Canadian for the victory crossing the line in 57:39. Portugal’s Filipe Marques rounded out the podium in 58:24.

Struggling to stay healthy over the last couple of years, the new game plan to stay fresh and prepare for the two-year charge to LA 2028 may be paying off.

“This is a good sign. The podium was a stretch goal, I wasn’t expecting it at all,” added Daniel. “Being healthy is so, so important and I know the fitness will come from that.’’

Canada’s Paralympic bronze medallist Leanne Taylor continued her return to international racing after taking the 2025 season away to have her first child.

The Oak Bluff, Man., racer just missed the podium in fourth at 1:08:37.  Australia’s Lauren Parker took gpld.

Canada marches four times to the podium at Para canoe World Cup in Montreal

Paralympic medallist Brianna Hennessy of Ottawa won two silver medals, Ben Brown of Weston, N.S. added another silver and Erica Scarff of Mississauga, Ont., chipped in a bronze in a strong performance for Canada at the second stop on the Para canoe World Cup circuit held in Montreal.

Hennessy clocked VL2 200-metre race in 1:01.97 at the Olympic Basin at Parc Jean-Drapeau. Great Britain’s Emma Wiggs, the three-time reigning Paralympic Games champion, won gold in 57.76 seconds, while Brazil’s Debora Benevides claimed bronze in the six-woman field.

 “I’m really happy I was able to stick to my game plan,” said Hennessy. ‘’There is always more to do, especially on my starts, but overall I think this was one of my better races and I’m happy about that.”

She was also second in the women’s KL1 200-metre with a time 1:00.37  behind reigning Paralympic and world champion Katherinne Wollermann of Chile.

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For Brown it was his first career medal on the World Cup circuit. A former national team wheelchair racer, Brown was elated with his performance after missing most of last season to injury.

‘’I just about broke down and cried,’’ he told Saltwire.com. ‘’To represent my country and to do it in Canada was an amazing feeling.”

Scarff, a two-time Paralympian, was third in the women’s VL3 200-metre.

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Priscilla Gagné earns bronze in Brazil

Para judoka Priscilla Gagné earned a bronze medal in the Under 52 kg J1 category this past weekend at the Brazil Grand Prix in Sao Paulo, won by local favorite Rosiclei De Andrade of Brazil.

Gagné secured her medal by defeating Omnia Dawoud (Egypt) by ippon in her final match of the day. Earlier in the repechage, the Canadian Paralympic Games silver medallist veteran had done the same to Indonesia’s Novia Larassati.

“Priscilla had a great competition. She lost to the Egyptian athlete in the past, but this tournament gave her a chance to settle the score,” said Canadian Para judo team coach Franck Moussima.

Gagné began her day with a victory via ippon over Argentina’s Rocio Silvana Ledesma Dure. In the next round, the tables turned, and the visually impaired judoka lost by ippon to De Andrade, the world No. 1 and eventual tournament winner.

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