Para sport weekend recap: Brianna Hennessy navigates wild waters for two medals at world Para canoe championships

POZNAN, Poland – Paralympic Games medallist Brianna Hennessy of Ottawa captured silver and bronze medals this past weekend at the integrated 2025 Canoe Sprint and Para Canoe World Championships.

Hennessy took the silver in the women’s VL2 200-metre clocking one minute and 00.82 seconds. It was her seventh career world championship medal.

Paralympic Games champion Emma Wiggs of Great Britain took the gold in 58.76 for her 13^th world title while defending champion Anastasia Miaskinova of Russia was third in 1:02.31.

The Ottawa paddler added a hard-earned bronze in the women’s KL1 200-metre clocking 54.20 seconds. Katherinne Wollermann of Chile won the gold medal in 52.23 and Maosan Xie of China was second in 53.92.

Hennessy opened that event winning her heat which allowed her to skip the semifinal and get a direct berth to the final. Crazy weather played havoc with the finalists.

‘’It was one of those days,’’ said Hennessy, a silver medallist in the event at the 2024 Paralympic Games.   ‘’I spent my entire race not trying to capsize. The work my coach and I have poured in all year, had to take a back seat to survival to cross the finish line.’’

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Hennessy says when winds pick up and create big waves, it becomes much more difficult to adjust.

‘’There’s a side to Para kayak racing that most people never see when the water turns unpredictable. With the lack of function in our core and legs we faced adversity in a way that can be genuinely scary and nerve wracking. ‘’

Hennessy saluted her opponents for their grit and determination to finish.

‘’ I’m so damn proud of each and every one of you. We pushed through chaos, held our ground and got through one hell of a rodeo together.’’

Erica Scarff of Mississauga, Ont., added a fifth place in the women’s VL3 200-metre. She was third in her heat and won her semifinal.

‘’A great way to end the racing season. It is such a joy for me to race and represent Canada,’’ she posted on her Instagram.

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Fulll results: https://wc26.domtel-sport.pl/?seria=2&dzien=2026-08-27&runda=3&konkurencja=MK1_200_3&impreza=6

Canadians eliminated in round of 16, pairs event next at boccia world championships

Paralympians Alison Levine and Iulian Cionabu, both of Montreal, and Lance Cryderman of Sudbury, Ont., were all eliminated in the round of 16 in their individual categories at the world boccia championships in Seoul.

All three players, Levine in women’s BC4, Ciobanu in men’s BC4 and Cryderman in men’s BC1, went 1-1 in the preliminary round before being ousted in their opening playoff matches.

It was particularly heartbreaking for Levine and Ciobanu, who both lost their playoff matches by one point.

‘’It’s not the result I wanted,’’ posted Levine on her Instagram reel after a 4-3 loss to Laissa Guerreira of Brazil. ‘’But I’m OK. I gave it my all and represented myself and my country with a positive attitude, good sportsmanship and class.’’

Levine and Ciobanu will now join forces in the BC4 pairs event which gets underway later this week.

‘’We have two days of rest and recovery before Iulian and I take the court again. We are ready,’’ she said.

Canada opens against Monday against Spain.

Matches are being streamed live at: Mobile SOOP

Full results at: Event | BCMS

Canadian Para swimmers win nine medals at Parapan Pacific Championships

Multiple Paralympic and world champion Aurélie Rivard of St-Jean-Sur Richelieu and Katie Cosgriffe of Oakville, Ont., capped a nine-medal Canadian performance with gold medals on Sunday at the Parapan Pacific Para Swimming Championships in Walnut, Calif.

It was the second medal of the three-day meet for both. Canada’s 20-member team completed the event with two gold, three silver and four bronze.

For Rivard, the event marked her return to competition after sitting out the 2025 season to complete her law degree at Université Laval in Quebec City.  She won the eight-woman 50 free multi class race, in 27.73 seconds.

‘’I can’t believe the medal I won was in the point system, that’s crazy to me,’’ said Rivard a 13-time Paralympic medallist over four Games, to CBC. ‘’I’m happy with the swim, I really wanted to fight for that gold. It’s a really decent time for what I’ve done in the past two years.’’

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In multi class races, the rankings are based on how close swimmers are to the world record in their classification.

Rivard opened the competition on Friday with a bronze in the 400-metre freestyle.

‘’I’m just getting back into it,’’ she said. ‘’I’m just getting back into training, so I’m way behind and I’m excited to see what the next two years will look like.’’

Cosgriffe, a bronze medallist in the 100 fly at the 2024 Paralympics, posted her victory Sunday in the 100 backstroke for her first international gold and third medal of the competition.

‘’I knew I could win but I wanted to go in with no expectations, just swim my own race,’’ she said. ‘’Usually I just look at the board to see what I was out in, This time I’ didn’t even look I was just super focused on my own race plan.’’

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Cosgriffe also took bronze Sunday in 100 fly and bronze in the 4X100-metre mixed medley relay with Fernando Lu of Richmond, B.C., Gavin Maxwell of Edmonton and Danielle Dorris of Moncton, N.B.`

Nicholas Bennett of Parksville, B.C., collected silver medals in the men’s 200 fly and 200 individual medley, Dorris added a silver in the women’s 50 fly and Sebastian Massabie of Surrey, B.C., took bronze in the men’s 50 fly.

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Nicolas-Guy Turbide of Quebec City also lowered his S13 Canadian record in the 100m backstroke clocking 1:00.49.