SANTIAGO – The Canadian Parapan Am Team is set for a big day at the Santiago 2023 Parapan Am Games on Thursday, competing in 10 sports. Here is what’s on the schedule for Day 6, Thursday November 23:
Wheelchair Rugby
All eyes will be on Canada versus USA in wheelchair rugby action, as the two rival nations will duel for wheelchair rugby gold – and a place in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games – at 7 p.m. local / 5 p.m. ET. The Americans, world championships silver medallists last year, are currently the world’s No. 1 ranked team to Canada’s No. 5. Four years ago, USA defeated Canada for gold at the Lima 2019 Parapan Am Games, a result the maple-leaf squad will look to reverse this year. The Canadians are a perfect 6-0 in Santiago so far, including a victory over the U.S. in its final preliminary match.
Boccia
Boccia is turning its attention to the pairs and team events, starting with group play. Canada’s lineup on Thursday includes Alison Levine and Iulian Ciobanu, both individual medallists this week, in the BC4 pairs. They’ll open again Argentina at 3 p.m. local / 1 p.m. ET. In BC3 pairs, Canada is represented by Joelle Guerette and Ryan Rondeau, and they will face Colombia at 4:50 p.m. local.
Para Athletics
The third day of Para athletics competition will feature six Canadians.
On the track, wheelchair racer Anthony Bouchard will be looking to add to his bronze medal won earlier this week when he races in the men’s T52 100m final at 6:19 p.m. Two runners will also be in heats, hoping to make finals later in the evening – Natalie Thirsk’s women’s T38 100m semifinal heat goes at 3:40 p.m. followed by Isaiah Christophe’s men’s T54 400m semifinal heat at 4:58 p.m.
Three throwers will also be in action. Billy Bridges is competing in his second event of the Games, the men’s F55 javelin starting at 5:26 p.m. Tokyo 2020 Paralympian Charlotte Bolton will be in the women’s F40/41 shot put at 4:55 p.m. and David Bambrick in the men’s F35/36/37 shot put at 6:13 p.m.
Para Swimming
Six athletes will be in action for Canada on Thursday, the penultimate day of Para swimming in Santiago. Caleb Arndt and Hunter Helberg will race in the men’s 400m freestyle S13 final at 9 a.m. local / 7 a.m. ET. Alisson Gobeil and Felix Cowan will both be in heats, looking to make evening finals – Gobeil in the women’s 200m freestyle S5 at 9:47 a.m. and Felix Cowan in the men’s 100m backstroke S9 at 10:27 a.m. Set for a direct final in the night session are Fernando Lu and Jagdev Gill in the men’s 100m freestyle S10 at 6:40 pm.
Goalball
It’s semifinal day in goalball. The Canadian women are up first at 4:15 p.m. versus Brazil, followed by the men against the United States at 5:30 p.m. Both bronze medallists at the Lima 2019 Parapan Am Games, the Canadian squads will look to go a step further in Santiago and also keep their dreams of a berth in the Paralympic Games alive.
Wheelchair Basketball
The Canadian women’s wheelchair basketball team is playing for a place in the gold medal game, taking on Argentina in the semifinals at 6:15 p.m. local. Through the round-robin stage, Canada posted a perfect 3-0 record while Argentina was 2-1.
Wheelchair Tennis
The lone Canadian remaining in wheelchair tennis in Santiago, Rob Shaw will face off against Brazilian Ymanitu Silva in the quad singles semifinals at 11 a.m. local / 9 a.m. ET. It will be a close match-up with Shaw, the tournament’s defending champion, currently ranked world No. 9 to Silva’s No. 10.
Para Cycling – Track
Four of Canada’s Para cyclists will be racing at the velodrome on Thursday in the individual time trial. First up are Keely Shaw and Mel Pemble in the women’s C1-5 event at 2:54 p.m. local followed by Alexandre Hayward and Mike Sametz in the men’s C1-5 at 3:24 p.m. Both Hayward (gold) and Sametz (bronze) made the podium in the road time trials on the weekend.
Para Badminton
William Roussy, Justin Kendrick, Bernard Lapointe, Wyatt Lightfoot, Yuka Chokyu, Colleen Cloetta, and Mikhail Bilenky will all be in action in Para badminton as preliminary play continues throughout the day, starting at 9 a.m. local / 7 a.m. ET.
CP Football
Canada’s CP Football team, currently 0-4, will look to post a strong result in its final preliminary game, at 5 p.m. versus USA.
Please note schedules are subject to change. The complete schedule for November 23 can be found on the Santiago 2023 Parapan Am website HERE.
HOW TO WATCH
The free CBC Gem streaming service, cbcsports.ca, and the CBC Sports App for iOS and Android devices will be offering streaming feeds throughout the Games. Additionally, there will be broadcast on CBC TV as part of CBC Sports Presents weekend programming. For full details on broadcast and streaming schedules, please visit cbcsports.ca.The official broadcaster of Santiago 2023, the Pan Am Sports Channel, will also be available for free in Canada throughout the event, offering additional live feeds of sports coverage. Please note not all sports may be available each day.
