Paris 2024 Day 3 Preview: Para swimming, Para cycling, and Para athletics among sports ahead for busy Canadian Paralympic Team

– Preliminary play wraps up for wheelchair rugby; Alison Levine set for boccia quarterfinals
– Sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball teams back in action

Paris, August 30, 2024 – As the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games moves into its first weekend, the Canadian Paralympic Team is primed for more sterling results. Here is what’s on the schedule for Canada on Day 3, Saturday August 31:

Para Swimming
Four Canadians are in action in the pool, with Nicholas Bennett leading off for the team at 9:46 a.m. CEST / 3:46 a.m. ET in the men’s 200m freestyle S14 heats. Bennett, competing in his second Paralympic Games at the age of 20, won gold in this event at the 2023 world championships.

Following will be Reid Maxwell in the men’s 100m backstroke S8, the youngest member of the Paris 2024 Canadian Paralympic Team making his debut at the age of 16.

Two experienced Paralympians will close out the morning heats for Canada, with Tess Routliffe and Danielle Dorris racing in the women’s 200m individual medley SM7 heats at 11:26 a.m. CEST / 5:26 a.m. ET. Routliffe, who missed the Tokyo Games due to injury, is a Rio 2016 silver medallist and 2023 worlds gold medallist in this discipline. Dorris, a two-time Paralympic medallist, will be making her third Games appearance at 21 years old.

Finals start at 5:30 p.m. CEST / 11:30 a.m. ET.

Para Cycling Track
Mel Pemble is set for her Para cycling debut at the Paralympic Games. The 2018 Paralympian in Para alpine skiing will race in the women’s C1-3 500m time trial qualifying at 10 a.m. CEST / 4 a.m. ET. She won the silver medal in this event at both the 2023 Parapan Am Games and 2024 world championships.

The six fastest racers in qualifying will advance to the finals at 1:35 p.m. CEST / 7:35 a.m. ET.

Para Athletics
Two Para track and field athletes will compete in morning finals: Ashlyn Renneberg, in her debut Paralympic appearance, in the women’s F13 javelin starting at 10:08 a.m. CEST / 4:08 a.m. ET as well as Guillaume Ouellet in the men’s T13 5000m final at 10:14 a.m. CEST / 4:14 a.m. ET. Ouellet, at his third Games, won bronze at the 2023 world championships in this distance and was fifth at Tokyo 2020.

In the evening session, three Canadians are in finals. Leading off will be first-time Paralympian Keegan Gaunt in the women’s T13 1500m final at 7:13 p.m. CEST / 1:13 p.m. ET, followed by 11-time Paralympic medallist Brent Lakatos in the men’s T54 5000m final at 8:39 p.m. CEST / 2:39 p.m. ET. Rounding out the night is Amanda Rummery in the women’s T47 400m final at 9:19 p.m. CEST / 3:19 p.m. ET.

Sitting Volleyball
The Canadian women’s team returns to the sitting volleyball court at North Paris Arena to face off against world champion Brazil as round-robin play continues. Canada, silver medallists at the 2022 world championships, won their opening game on Thursday. The game starts at 8 p.m. CEST / 2 p.m. ET.

Wheelchair Rugby
Canada, with a record of 1-1, will wrap up preliminary play in wheelchair rugby against Japan at 5:30 p.m. CEST / 11:30 a.m. ET. The top two finishers in each four-nation pool will advance into the semifinals.

Para Rowing
First-time Paralympian Jacob Wassermann will race in the PR1 men’s single sculls repechage at 10:10 a.m. CEST / 4:10 a.m. ET for a chance to advance to the final.

Boccia
In boccia action, individual preliminary play will first wrap up early in the day with Canada’s Iulian Ciobanu taking to the court at 11:40 a.m. CEST / 5:40 a.m. ET in the men’s BC4 category versus Stephen McGuire of Great Britain. Currently 1-1, Ciobanu will be hoping to post a win for the chance to advance to the quarterfinals later in the day.

Already through to the playoff stage is Alison Levine. She will play in the women’s BC4 quarterfinals against a familiar foe, facing off at 8:45 p.m. CEST / 2:45 p.m. ET versus Colombian Leidy Chica Chia, currently the No. 1-ranked player in the world. Levine, the No. 2, defeated Chica Chica for gold in the Parapan Am Games final last November.

Wheelchair Tennis
Canada’s wheelchair tennis entry, Rob Shaw, will take to the courts at Roland Garros for his opening match in the quad draw. Silver medallist at the 2023 Parapan Am Games, Shaw will take on Brazil’s Ymanitu Silva, over whom he has an 11-2 win record. His match is second on his court after a 12 p.m. CEST / 6 a.m. ET start.

Wheelchair Basketball
It is Canada versus Great Britain day in wheelchair basketball, with both Canadian teams facing off against the same nation. Tipping off first will be the women (0-1) at 10:30 a.m. CEST / 4:30 a.m. ET, followed by the men (1-0) at 12:45 p.m. CEST / 5:45 a.m. ET.

Para Badminton
Yuka Chokyu will hope to conclude her Paris 2024 on a high note as group play wraps up in Para badminton. Chokyu, currently 0-2, will face Thailand’s Sujirat Pookkham not before 11:10 a.m. CEST / 5:10 a.m. ET.

The complete schedule for August 31 can be found on the Paris 2024 website HERE.

HOW TO WATCH
Audiences can tune in for CBC/Radio-Canada’s coverage of Paris 2024 in English on CBC, CBC Gem, CBC’s Paris 2024 website (cbc.ca/paris2024) and the CBC Paris 2024 app for Android and iOS devices, and in French on ICI TÉLÉ, ICI TOU.TV, Radio-Canada’s Paris 2024 website (Radio-Canada.ca/jeux-paralympiques), and the Radio-Canada Paralympiques app for Android and iOS devices.