After a tough Tokyo, Canada restored Paralympic Games momentum in Paris

PARIS — What looked like a bounce back for Canada at the Paralympic Games was more of a return to form.

Canada's 10 gold medals in Paris were the most since 19 in Beijing in 2008, and also doubled the output at the Tokyo Games three years ago.

The 29 medals overall matched Rio in 2016 and far surpassed the 21 in Tokyo.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected para sport more than able-bodied sport with international and domestic competition decimated.

Canada's tight restrictions around the pandemic added an extra layer of challenge for Tokyo hopefuls in addition to the adaptations they made to pursue their sport.

Canadian athletes showed what they could do in Paris with more optimal preparation.

"I would say it's a bit of a bounce forward," Canadian Paralympic Committee chief executive officer Karen O'Neill said Sunday.

"This really is a crossroads for Canada because what we wanted to do was stop the downturn of our reduced performance, especially in summer sport, that's been evidenced over the last couple of quads.

"COVID was tough for both our Olympians and Paralympians, but it was markedly tougher for our Paralympians because so many additional supports and services were not available."

Canada tied for 15th with India in total medals and tied for 11th with Germany and Uzbekistan in gold among 168 countries.

Canadians stood on the podium in seven sports.

Swimming and track and field led the way with a combined 22 medals, including all 10 gold.

"They had a really good mix of new and more veteran athletes being able to perform on the highest stage," said CPC chief sport officer Catherine Gosselin-Després.

"That's been really refreshing to see in these two big sports that are so important in the Paralympic Games."

Nicholas Bennett of Parksville, B.C., had a breakout Paralympic Games with two gold medals and a silver in swimming.

Tokyo's Paralympic Games were delayed from 2020 to 2021 and held without spectators because of the pandemic.

Bennett wasn't rattled by the raucous La Defense Arena atmosphere in his second Paralympic Games.

"Just making the team was a monumental task and then racing some of the best athletes in the world and placing among them to be the best, it's just been absolutely insane," the 20-year-old said.

"The experience in the pool, it was so loud that I could barely hear my own thoughts. Compared to Tokyo, you could hear a pin drop.

"I'm going to dream of these memories every night probably for the rest of my life."

He and para canoeist Brianna Hennessy of Ottawa were chosen to carry Canada's flag in Sunday's closing ceremonies in Place de la Concorde.

Hennessy produced Canada's first Paralympic medal in canoeing with a silver.

"We're really seeing an evolution of para sport across the world," the 39-year-old said. "I always talk about when we come here we're representing our country, but we're representing something much bigger than that. It's the movement of people with disabilities.

"People with disabilities shouldn't have to do something extraordinary to be seen or respected in their communities."

The women's sitting volleyball team's bronze was Canada's first Paralympic medal in a team sport since London in 2012.

"It was remarkable to see our athletes on the world stage — uniting Canadians over the shared love of sport and inspiring us all to dream big," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement.

“Over two weeks, Team Canada joined their competitors from around the world in an exceptional display of sportsmanship. With dedication and hard work, our Paralympians exemplified the best of Canada.

"Whether they were competing for the first time or returning Team Canada members, they embodied the values, virtues, and spirit of the Maple Leaf with skill and grit."

A common theme among Canadian medallists was they started out in a different para sport before switching to one in which they excelled.

Victoria's Cody Fournie won a pair of wheelchair racing sprints after a decade in wheelchair rugby. Cycling silver medallist Nathan Clement of West Vancouver, B.C., swam in the 2016 Paralympics before his move to the bike.

Canada's para sport system must continue to flexible for those moves to happen, Gosselin-Després said.

"Like most of the top nations in world, we rely a little bit on athlete transfer," she explained. "Many athletes start in a sport and either have a dual sport, or change to a sport where they're going to be more successful. You can grow your medal-potential group.

"It's having our coaches and technical leaders being able to have these conversations with the athletes."

Paris marks the first time Canada's Paralympians will receive bonus money for medals on the same scale as their Olympic counterparts— $20,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze.

The CPC will pay athletes out of an $8-million endowment fund. Health tech entrepreneur Sanjay Malaviya of Hespeler, Ont., contributed $4 million and the federal government $2 million to it.

Malaviya also renewed grants of $5,000 per medallist to top up the medal bonuses.

The Paralympics in Paris sold more that 2.3 million tickets, which ranked second behind London's 2.7 million in 2012, according to The Associated Press. French fans were gracious supporters of international athletes and zealous about their own in venues.

"I really hope that witnessing the power of what's happened here at the Paralympics, and the team that's returning home, that Canadians will take notice of not only an exceptionally talented team of athletes, but also just the power of sport to demonstrate the diversity of our country and how much we share in common," O'Neill said.

"No longer should it be acceptable for the communities and country we live in not to be accessible."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 7, 2024.