Team of 20 Para athletics competitors nominated to Paris 2024 Canadian Paralympic Team

A team of 20 athletes has been nominated to represent Canada in Para athletics at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) and Athletics Canada announced on Thursday.

Paris 2024 Canadian Paralympic Team – PARA ATHLETICS

Charlotte Bolton – Tillsonburg, ON
Bianca Borgella – Ottawa, ON
Anthony Bouchard – Quebec, QC
Renee Foessel – Barrie, ON
Cody Fournie – Victoria, BC
Keegan Gaunt – Thunder Bay, ON
Zach Gingras – Markham, ON

Sheriauna Haase – Toronto, ON
Julia Hanes – LaSalle, ON
Brent Lakatos – Dorval, QC
Guillaume Ouellet – Victoriaville, QC
Marisa Papaconstantinou – Toronto, ON
Ashlyn Renneberg – Saskatoon, SK
Nate Riech – Victoria, BC

Katie Pegg – Scarborough, ON
Amanda Rummery – Edmonton, AB
Austin Smeenk – Oakville, ON
Greg Stewart – Kamloops, BC
Noah Vucsics – Calgary, AB
Jesse Zesseu – Toronto, ON

MEET THE RETURNING PARALYMPIC MEDALLISTS

The team includes five Paralympic medallists, led by Brent Lakatos, who has won 11 medals over his first five Paralympic Games. Lakatos won four silver medals in Tokyo in 2021, where he was Canada’s Closing Ceremony flag bearer.

Of those five Paralympic medallists, two are defending champions, looking to repeat their success of three years ago.

Greg Stewart set a Paralympic record on his way to claiming gold in the men’s F46 shot put event. Stewart announced his retirement from competitive sport in 2022 but, just over a year later, he announced his return to the throwing ring. He has come back strong, earning 2024 World Para Athletics Championships silver in May to earn a quota spot for Canada, then earning a Paralympic nomination with his performance at the 2024 Bell Track & Field Trials.

“There are going to be a lot of new teammates and I’m really excited to see a really strong women’s side, in particular,” Stewart said. “Also, to compete with a bunch of my friends – I’m really excited. Paris is going to be a hoot, for sure.”

Nate Riech won the men’s T37/38 1,500 metres on the last full day of competition in Tokyo, setting a Paralympic record of his own in the process. He is also a two-time world champion in the event, having won gold at the 2019 and 2023 World Para Athletics Championships.

“Hey, world. Let’s get it going. Let’s run the gauntlet. I welcome all comers and I look forward to challenging myself,” Riech said.

Marissa Papaconstantinou heads to her third Paralympic Games, having won bronze in the women’s T64 100 metres in Tokyo. She earned bronze in that same event, as well as bronze in the women’s T64 200 metres, at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships last year.

Zach Gingras earned his nomination to the Paralympic team with a silver medal in the men’s T38 400 metres at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships and a stellar performance at the 2024 Bell Track & Field Trials. Gingras walks into his second Paralympic Games having won bronze in the event three years ago in Tokyo.

DECORATED VETERANS AIM FOR PARALYMPIC BREAKTHROUGH

Austin Smeenk has already had a season for the record books, having set a world record in the men’s T34 400 metres three separate times and a new world record in the men’s T34 800 metres at World Para Athletics Grand Prix events this year. He won silver (T34 100 metres) and bronze (T34 400 metres) at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships, as team co-captain in Paris last year.

Renee Foessel goes to her third Paralympic Games, having won silver in the women’s F38 discus at the 2023 world championships, where she served as co-captain with Smeenk. Later in the year, she won bronze in the event at the Parapan American Games in Santiago.

“Coming out of the world championships last year, and a podium performance, I would really like to go in and achieve the same,” Foessel said. “A gold medal would be optimal, but I’m really excited to get there and get in the ring and do the best I can.”

Guillaume Ouellet will also make his third appearance on the Paralympic track. He took bronze in the men’s T34 1500 metres at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships.

Charlotte Bolton claimed the bronze medal in the women’s F41 discus at the 2023 Parapan American Games and captured her first international win in the event at the WPA Paris Grand Prix in June.

PARALYMPIC ROOKIES LOOK TO SHINE

There will be 11 Para athletes making their Paralympic debut in Paris, many of whom have already had an impact on the international stage.

Three athletes earned medals at the 2023 or 2024 World Para Athletics Championships.

Bianca Borgella won silver (T13 200 metres) and bronze (T13 100 metres) at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships.

“It’s pretty incredible. Young Bianca wouldn’t have thought that she would go to the Paralympics. This year, I’m hoping to go with my mind clear and hopefully get a medal – fingers crossed,” Borgella said.

Noah Vucsics earned silver in the men’s T20 long jump at the 2023 worlds and bronze in the same event at the 2023 Parapan Am Games.

“The goal is to try and find the podium, like I did last year. To get there, I just need to work on some things and challenge for one of those medals,” Vucsics said.

Cody Fournie raced to silver in the men’s T51 100 metres at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan.

Four more athletes enter Paris 2024 as Santiago 2023 Parapan Am Games medallists.

Anthony Bouchard only started wheelchair racing in 2020, but he has quickly established himself as a medal threat, winning gold in Santiago in the men’s T52 100 metres.

Sheriauna Haase earned two bronze medals at the Parapan Am Games, stepping onto the podium for both the women’s T47 100 metres and 200 metres.

Jesse Zesseu left Santiago with medals in both the men’s F37 discus (silver) and F37 long jump (bronze).

Keegan Gaunt approaches her first Paralympic Games with a 2023 Parapan American Games bronze medal to her name, having placed third in the women’s T13 1500 metres.

First-time Paralympic Games participants Ashlyn Renneberg, Julia Hanes, Katie Pegg, and Amanda Rummery complete the roster.

WORLD CLASS

Canada is coming off one of its best ever World Para Athletics Championships in 2023. The Canadian team won 14 medals (two gold, seven silver, five bronze), won by nine different medallists. This represents the country’s best World Para Athletics Championships since 2013. Canada also claimed two more medals at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships, at an event where few athletes who had already qualified for Paris 2024 competed.

Canada’s Para athletics team left Tokyo 2020 with eight medals – two gold, four silver, two bronze – won by five individual medallists. That is the same number of medals and medallists as Rio 2016.

“When I left Tokyo in 2021, I told myself the only way we’ll believe that we’re successful is to have a strategic plan that ensures that we build this team to at least 20 athletes,” said Carla Nichols, Athletics Canada’s Lead of Paralympic High-Performance. “We’ve gotten to 20 – 10 female, 10 male. All the men are ranked top six in the world and almost all the women are ranked in the top eight. I see 20 athletes that I’m so proud of and I know that they’re in the right place to do well in Paris. This was such a difficult team to make, and these athletes have been working hard for the past two years to try and make this team.”

Fifteen of the athletes nominated met the standard to qualify for the team competing in the Paralympic Games at the 2024 Bell Track & Field Trials in Montreal last month.

Para athletics competition in Paris will run August 30 to September 8 at Stade de France, with the marathon events taking place in the streets of Paris on the final day of competition.

“Congratulations to all 20 Para athletics team members on being nominated for the Paris 2024 Canadian Paralympic Team,” said Josh Vander Vies, co-chef de mission, Paris 2024 Canadian Paralympic Team. “This is going to be such an exciting team to follow in Paris, with Paralympic medallists, world record holders, comeback stories, Paralympic debutants, and so much more. I encourage all Canadians to get behind these athletes; I certainly can’t wait to cheer them on myself.”

“I am so thrilled to welcome the Para athletics athletes to the team,” said Karolina Wisniewska, co-chef de mission, Paris 2024 Canadian Paralympic Team. “This is an incredible group of athletes, with so much success at the Paralympic Games and world championships. From the team’s leaders who have been to multiple Games to a very exciting group of athletes heading to their first Games, we will see so many amazing performances in Paris. Wishing all 20 athletes the best of luck with their final preparations and I’m looking forward to supporting them at the Games.”

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will take place August 28 to September 8 in Paris, France. Canada is expecting to send a team of approximately 130 athletes.

Prior to being officially named to the Canadian Paralympic Team, all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Paralympic Committee. The approved final roster will be announced closer to the start of the Games.

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will begin with the Opening Ceremony on August 28 and continue through September 8. Audiences can tune in for CBC/Radio-Canada’s coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games from August 28 to September 8 on CBC, CBC Gem, CBC’s Paris 2024 website (cbc.ca/paris2024) and the CBC Paris 2024 app in English and on ICI TÉLÉ, ICI TOU.TV, Radio-Canada.ca/paris2024, and on the Radio-Canada Paralympiques app in French.