Paris 2024 Day 6 Preview: Knockout stages begin in team sports

– Quarterfinals in women’s goalball, men’s wheelchair basketball
– Para equestrian, wheelchair fencing, and boccia pairs competitions start; Sprinters set for Para athletics races

Paris, September 2, 2024 – As the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games crosses into the halfway point, team sports are into the knockout stages, while individual competition continues in Para athletics and Para swimming. Canadian athletes will also take the field of play in the boccia pairs tournament, as well as Para equestrian and wheelchair fencing as the Paris 2024 Canadian Paralympic Team looks ahead to Day 6, Tuesday September 3:

Para Athletics
Para athletics competition is in full swing at Stade de France, with Canadians competing in at least two finals on Tuesday.

In the morning session, first-time Paralympian Cody Fournie will race in the men’s T51 200m final at 10:52 a.m. CEST / 4:52 a.m. ET.

Joining him are three runners, all aiming to qualify for finals. First up is Marissa Papaconstantinou in the women’s T64 200m heats at 10:36 a.m. CEST / 4:36 a.m. ET, followed by Bianca Borgella in the women’s 100m T13 at 11:04 a.m. CEST / 5:04 a.m. ET and Sheriauna Haase in the women’s T47 100m at 12:52 pm CEST / 6:52 a.m. ET.

If they secure berths for their respective finals, they would all take place later that day in the evening.

It is the third Paralympic Games for Papaconstantinou, a bronze medallist in the 100m at Tokyo 2020. She was fifth in the 200m. For Borgella and Haase, it will be their debut Paralympic appearances.

The evening is also set to feature Zachary Gingras in the men’s T38 400m final at 7:20 p.m. CEST / 1:20 p.m. ET. He was a bronze medallist in this race at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Para Swimming
Seven Para swimmers will be racing on the day. Mary Jibb will lead off for the Canadians in the women’s 100m backstroke S9 heats at 9:46 a.m. CEST / 3:46 a.m. ET, making her Paralympic debut.

Also on deck will be Sebastian Massabie in the men’s 200m freestyle S4, Nikita Ens and Aly Van Wyck-Smart in the women’s 100m freestyle S3, Alexander Elliot and Fernando Lu in the men’s 100m butterfly S10, and Katie Cosgriffe in the women’s 100m butterfly S10.

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

Boccia
It is time for the pairs event in boccia, with Alison Levine and Iulian Ciobanu teaming up in the BC4 event. The duo, gold medallists at the Parapan Am Games last year, will play two matches in group play, both on Tuesday. First will be China at 10:30 a.m. CEST / 4:30 a.m. ET followed by Croatia at 6:50 p.m. CEST / 12:50 p.m. ET. The top two finishers in the pool will advance to the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Wheelchair Fencing
All three of Canada’s wheelchair fencers will compete on Tuesday in the sabre events. Leading off will be Ruth Sylvie Morel in the women’s A category, taking on Ukrainian Nataliia Morkvych at 1 p.m. CEST / 7 am. ET. Morel is the veteran of the team, competing at her fourth Paralympic Games at the age of 67.

At 1:50 p.m. CEST / 7:50 a.m. ET will be newcomer Trinity Lowthian in the women’s B category. The 22-year-old is making her Paralympic debut, facing off against South Korea’s Cho Eun Hye.

Rounding out the team is now two-time Paralympian Ryan Rousell in the men’s category A. He will open versus Artem Manko of Ukraine at 2:10 p.m. CEST / 8:10 a.m. ET.

The competition all takes place on one day, running through from the opening round to the medal matches.

Goalball
The Canadian women’s goalball team will take on Israel in quarterfinal goalball action as the tournament moves into the elimination rounds. The game starts at 3:15 p.m. CEST / 9:15 a.m. ET. Gold medallists at the Parapan Am Games last fall and fourth-place finishers at the 2022 world championships, Canada will be hoping for a semifinal berth and the chance to play for a medal for the first time since winning back-to-back gold in 2000 and 2004.

Wheelchair Basketball
The Canadian men’s wheelchair basketball team takes to the court for the quarterfinals against Netherlands at 4 p.m. CEST / 11 a.m. ET. The team was eighth at the Tokyo Games three years ago.

Para Equestrian
It is the first day of Para equestrian competition at the Chateau de Versailles. Canada’s three riders will compete in the individual event on Tuesday.

Roberta Sheffield and Fairuza will feature in the Grade II classification at 11:45 a.m. CEST / 5:45 a.m. ET followed by Jody Schloss and El Colorado as well as Austen Burns and Happy Feet 3 in the Grade I event at 1:45 p.m. CEST / 7:45 a.m. ET.

Sheffield and Schloss will be making their third Paralympic appearances while it will be the debut for Burns.

The complete schedule for September 3 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. 

Don’t miss a moment of the Paris 2024 action! Join our CAN Crew community today and stay up-to-date with all the latest news and updates from the Canadian Paralympic Team directly to your email inbox!