Paris 2024 Paralympics Day 8: Rivard and Lakatos race to the top of the podium
Canada has reached 20 medals in Paris with three more on Thursday.
Aurélie Rivard and Brent Lakatos won the 13th medals of their legendary Paralympic careers on Thursday, both striking gold as Canada reached the 20 medal mark at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Both of them won silver medals on Sunday for the 12th medals of their careers, and added to their collections again on Thursday, climbing together up the all-time list of most decorated Canadian Paralympians.
In the pool, Rivard won the women’s 400m freestyle S10 race for the third Paralympics in a row, winning an intense battle with American swimmer Alexandra Truwit to get back to the top of the podium.
Rivard, who still holds the world and Paralympic record from Tokyo 2020, touched the wall in 4:29.20, ahead of Truwit in 4:31.39 and the bronze medallist, Hungarian swimmer Bianka Pap, in 4:35.63. The Canadian superstar was third after 200m but ramped it up in the second half of the race to charge into a lead she wouldn’t relinquish.
She has a medal of each colour now in Paris, and 13 in her Paralympic career — six of which are gold.
“This one's extra special. It's one thing to be young and chase and go for the first gold medal, but to defend titles, it's harder each time,” said Rivard. “You have to find little ways to beat yourself. And I'm not easy to beat. I know all my tricks. And you also have to beat your own expectations, which is probably the hardest part, and the pressure I was putting on myself. So this one, I know everything I put into this race in the last few days, and also in the last few years.”
Tess Routliffe won her second medal of the Games, adding a bronze medal in the women’s 100m breaststroke SB7. Routliffe, who was the 2023 world champion in this event, touched the wall in 1:31.58, five-and-a-half seconds back of Mariia Pavlova from the Neutral Paralympic Athletes team, who broke her own world record with a time of 1:26.09. Coming in second was 13-year-old British rising star Iona Winnifrith.
It was Routliffe’s second medal of the Games, and third in her Paralympic career, after winning a silver in the women’s 200m individual medley SM7 on Saturday.
“I think it went very well. I'm here to race, and that's exactly what I'm doing,” said Routliffe. “I'm super happy to be here. I love getting in the pool and competing and racing the person next to me, so I'm just happy I'm getting the chance to do that again.”
Abi Tripp, who was the silver medallist behind Routliffe at worlds, was unable to advance from the heats in the morning. Mary Jibb also competed in a final, finishing seventh in the women’s 200m individual medley SM9. Katarina Roxon wasn’t able to reach the final of that event with Jibb, while Canada’s mixed 4x50m medley relay team — made up of Nikita Ens, Shelby Newkirk, Sebastian Massabie, and Reid Maxwell — was also eliminated in the heats.
Brent Lakatos won the second gold medal, and 13th medal overall, of his Paralympic career at Stade de France, winning the T53 800m final in a season-best time of 1:37.32. Lakatos made his move at the end of the first lap around the track, charging to the front and hanging on for the second lap to become the new Paralympic champion.
“The lady at the track asked me, ‘Do you want to ring the bell?’,” Lakatos said of the large bell beside the track that all of the gold medallists ring after winning, and will be moved to the Notre Dame Cathedral after the Games. “Of course I want to ring the bell! So I went up there and I was able to rock my wheelchair and put all my momentum into that. That was fun. That's awesome.”
Julia Hanes competed in the women’s F33 shot put final, setting a new personal best with a throw of 7.15 metres on her second and fifth throws. Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Marissa Papaconstantinou booked her spot in Friday’s women’s T64 100m final, finishing 5th in her heat with a time of 13.24 seconds. Anthony Bouchard qualified for a Friday final as well, finishing second in his heat in the men’s T52 100m with a time of 17.43 seconds.
Keegan Gaunt did not qualify for the women’s T13 400m final, finishing 6th in her semifinal heat in a time of 1:03.16.
Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Priscilla Gagne missed out on the podium in the women’s 57kg J1 judo event, advancing as far as the bronze medal match but falling 11-1 to Argentina’s Paula Gómez.
Alison Levine and Iulian Ciobanu came up just short in their quest for the podium as well, in the boccia BC4 mixed pairs event. The duo lost 6-1 to Thailand’s Pornchok Larpyen and Nuanchan Phonsila in the bronze medal match.
Charles Moreau was the lone Canadian Para cyclist in action, keeping close to the lead pack at points of the men’s H3 road race, but he did not finish the event after a crash.
Two other Canadian teams will play for bronze medals in Paris after losing their semifinal matches on Thursday.
The men’s wheelchair basketball team lost to the defending Paralympic champion United States in their semis, falling 80-43. Canada was leading by one after the first quarter, but the Americans showed their quality, taking the lead in the second and not looking back. Canada secured its best Paralympic result since winning gold in 2012 by making the semifinals, and will play Germany for bronze on Saturday.
The women’s sitting volleyball team will also play for bronze on Saturday, against Brazil, after losing in straight sets (25-16, 25-22, 25-18) to China in Thursday’s semifinal. Canada finished fourth in Tokyo for the team’s best-ever Paralympic result, and have matched that by making the semifinals, but will look to reach the podium for the first time this weekend.
What’s happening on Day 9?
Below are all of the Canadian athletes competing on Friday. Click here for CBC’s guide on when and where to watch every Paralympic event.
Ten Canadian swimmers will compete on an action-packed day at La Défense Arena.
Hannah Ouellette races in the women’s 50m butterfly S5 heats, followed by Alec Elliot in the men’s 100m backstroke S10. The women’s 100m backstroke S10 also takes place on Friday, with three Canadians in action — Aurelie Rivard, Arianna Hunsicker, and Katie Cosgriffe, with Rivard and Cosgriffe looking to add to the medals they have already won in Paris. A two-time Paralympic champion already in Paris, Nicholas Bennett, looks to add a fourth medal to his haul in the men’s 100m backstroke S14, while Reid Maxwell looks to win a second medal himself, in the men’s 100m freestyle S8.
Emma Van Dyck races in the women’s 100m backstroke S14, Mary Jibb competes in the women’s 100m butterfly S9, and Sebastian Massabie goes in the men’s 50m freestyle S4.
The finals for all of these events will be in the evening sessions for the athletes that are able to advance.
In the morning session at Stade de France, Anthony Bouchard races in the men’s T52 100m final and Jesse Zesseu makes his Paralympic debut in the final of the men’s F37 discus throw.
There will be three finals in the evening as well — Marissa Papaconstantinou in the women’s T64 100m, Renee Foessel in the women’s F38 discus, and Cody Fournie in the men’s T51 100m. Fournie won gold in the 200m event earlier in the Games, and Papaconstantinou was the Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist in the 100m.
After winning a bronze medal on the track earlier in the Games, Para cyclist Keely Shaw will race for Canada in the women’s C4-5 road race.
Canada will compete in the Para equestrian team event at Chateau de Versailles, represented by three athlete-horse duos. Jody Schloss and El Colorado will start things off, followed by Austen Burns and Happy Feet 3, then Roberta Sheffield and Fairuza.
After competing in the sabre events earlier in the week, wheelchair fencers Ryan Rousell and Trinity Lowthian will compete in their respective epee events on Friday. Rousell will take on Artem Manko of Ukraine for the second time this week in the men’s A category table of 32, while Lowthian competes in the women’s B category table of 16 against Ukraine’s Olena Fedota-Isaieva.
Canadian athletes competing in non-medal events on day 9:
World record holder Austin Smeenk races in the men’s 800m T34 heats, looking to advance to the final on Saturday. Smeenk already has a medal in Paris, picking up a bronze in the men’s 100m T34.
The women’s wheelchair basketball team take on the Netherlands in the semifinals of their tournament, looking to beat the defending Paralympic champions and reach the gold medal game. Canada has not reached the final since winning three gold medals in a row from 1992-2000, and not reached the podium since a bronze four years later at Athens 2004.
Three Canadian Para canoeists take to the water in the final sport to kick off its schedule in Paris. Brianna Hennessy will race in both the women’s VL2 and KL1 heats, Erica Scarff races in the women’s VL3 heats, and Mathieu St-Pierre in the men’s VL2 heats. The medal races for all four events are on the weekend, if they are able to advance.
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