Para sport update: Canadians advance at Para canoe worlds

MILAN, Italy – Paralympic Games silver medalist Brianna Hennessy set the pace in the women’s VL2 200-metre heats Thursday to advance directly to Sunday’s final on at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships.

Hennessy, second in the event at the 2024 Paralympics, won her opening heat in 1:00.62 the fastest time of the day. That more than a second ahead of ‘’Neutral Athlete’’ Anastasia Miasnikova.  The top three in both heats advanced directly to Sunday’s final while the next best five overall race in the semis on Friday.

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In the men’s VL2 200, two-time Paralympian Mathieu St-Pierre of Shawinigan, Que., was fifth in his heat to advance to the semifinals on Friday.

Canada’s other two racers, Erica Scarff of Mississauga, Ont., and Gabriel Ferron-Bouius of Ottawa open their competition on Friday in the women ‘s VL3 and men’s KL3.

Live stream is available on the Planet Canoe YouTube channel.

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Canada places fourth at Americas Cup wheelchair basketball tournament

Meanwhile on the court in Bogota, Team Canada fought to the final seconds of Wednesday’s semifinals, coming up just short in a 48-47 thriller against host, Colombia, to conclude the Americas Cup in fourth place.

Ibrahim Odza paced the Senior Men’s National Team (SMNT) with 16 points, shooting an efficient 8 of 14 from the field and adding two assists. Garrett Ostepchuk poured in 14 points, three assists and three rebounds, while Reed De’Aeth contributed 11 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Captain Vincent Dallaire was named a tournament all-star for his performance over the six games in Bogotá.

After trailing 14-6 at the end of the first quarter, Canada stormed back in the second frame, outscoring Colombia 14-0 to take a 20-14 halftime lead.

“I felt there was a big momentum switch,” said Odza. “We came back, still believed in the game. We went on a big run. We had some good pick-and-rolls and good ball movement at certain times.”

The Americas Cup was a qualification tournament for the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships, set for Ottawa from Sept. 9–19, 2026.  As the host nation, Canada has already qualified.

Full story from Wheelchair Basketball Canada

Hayward leads Canadian Para cycling team to worlds

On the Para cycling front, Paralympic Games medallists  Alexandre Hayward and Mike Sametz lead a five-member Canadian team to the Para cycling road championships set for August 28-31 in Ronse, Belgium.

Hayward, 28, collected two bronze medals in the men’s C3 (conventional bike) at last year’s world road championships in Zurich just a couple of weeks after his fourth place in Paris at his first Paralympic Games.

At the two World Cups in May, Hayward won gold in the road race and bronze in the time trial at the stop in Ostend, Belgium and added another win a week later in Maniago,Italy.

Sametz, a time trial world champion in the C3 in 2018,  is returning this year from a serious injury this after crashing in training on Opening Ceremony day at the Paralympics

Joining the pair are Maarten Duif of Carleton Place, Ont., in H1 (handcycle) Jessica Law of Vancouver in C5 and Kara Douville of Calgary in H4.  Duif and Law have also both medalled on the World Cup circuit this season.

Here’s the Cycling Canada announcement

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Para athlete wins New Brunswick’s first gold at Canada Games

Back home in St. John’s N.L., wheelchair thrower Christel Robichaud of Grande-Digue won New Brunswick’s first gold medal at the 2025 Canada Games on Wednesday night.

She successfully defended her shotput title from the 2022 Games with her best throw measured at 6.60 metres, just a centimetre off her Canadian record.

‘’I’m proud of what I accomplished,’’  Robichaud, told Radio-Canada.  ‘’I wasn’t sure I was going to win, so I’m pleased with the result.

Robichaud has competed at six Canada Games including two winter Games in Para alpine skiing. These will be her last. She competes in discus on Saturday.