Paris 2024 Paralympics Day 1: Canada win two bronze medals on first day of competition
Aurélie Rivard and Kate O’Brien reached the podium in consecutive Paralympics.
Canada picked up a pair of bronze medals on the first day of competition at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on Thursday, as two Canadians reached the podium once again at the Paralympics.
Kate O’Brien won Canada’s first medal of the Games, taking bronze in the women's C4-5 time trial. It is her second consecutive trip to the podium in this event, after earning a silver medal at Tokyo 2020.
After putting up the fourth-best time in qualifying, O’Brien raced to a factored time of 36.873 seconds in the final to finish third. Caroline Groot, who set a new world record in qualifying, took gold for the Netherlands and Marie Patouillet won a silver medal for the home nation France.
Keely Shaw finished tenth in qualifying in the event and did not qualify for the final, but said afterwards that it was a good dress rehearsal for her signature event, the women's C4 individual pursuit on Friday.
In the pool, Aurélie Rivard stepped onto the podium in the women’s 50m freestyle S10 event for the third Paralympics in a row, repeating her bronze medal performance from Tokyo 2020 and adding to her gold medal in the event from Rio 2016. It was the eleventh medal in Rivard’s Paralympic career, putting the 28-year-old in a tie for seventh all-time on the list of Canada’s most decorated Summer Paralympians.
Her world record was broken in the final, as Chen Yi of China finished first in a time of 27.10 seconds, ahead of American Christie Raleigh Crossley (27.38) in second and Rivard in third (27.62). Fellow Canadians Arianna Hunsicker and Katie Cosgriffe were both eliminated in the first round of the event, with Cosgriffe in the same heat as Rivard.
Two other Canadians made swimming finals on Thursday. Shelby Newkirk finished fourth in the final of the women’s 50m freestyle in the S6 classification, missing the podium by just over a second, while Fernando Lu finished seventh in the final of the men’s 50m freestyle S10.
Clemence Pare and Hannah Ouellette both raced in the women’s 200m freestyle S5 event, and were both eliminated in the first round heats.
Several team events began their preliminary round schedules on Thursday, including women’s goalball, where Canada dominated France 10-0. The game came to a premature end thanks to the mercy rule, which automatically kicks in once a ten-point lead is reached by one of the teams.
Canada’s women’s sitting volleyball team also began their tournament with a win, beating Slovenia in straight sets — 25-11, 25-21, 25-12.
In wheelchair rugby, Canada narrowly lost to the rival United States, falling 51-48 in their tournament opener. Zak Madell led the way for Canada with 31 of the team’s 48 tries.
The women’s wheelchair basketball team lost the first match of their tournament, beaten 70-65 by China. After trailing at halftime, Canada had a strong third quarter to take a 55-53 lead into the final frame, but China were the better team in the fourth quarter to take the win.
Kyle Tremblay is the lone Canadian competing in Para archery at these Paralympics, and got off to a strong start on Thursday, finishing fourth in the qualifying round of the men’s compound open event with a personal best score of 697 points.
Alison Levine split her first two boccia matches, beating Egypt’s Hanaa Elfar before losing to Malaysia’s Noor Askuzaimey Mat Salim in the women’s BC4 group stage. All three Canadian men lost their opening matches, with Iulian Ciobanu losing to Ukraine’s Artem Kolinko in the BC4 event, Danik Allard losing to Japan’s Takayuki Hirose in BC2, and Lance Cryderman falling to Portugal’s Andre Ramos in the BC1.
Yuka Chokyu lost her opening match in the women’s singles WH1 Para badminton group stage, falling in straight sets (21-12, 21-12) to Hu Guang-Chiou of Chinese Taipei.
What’s happening on Day 2?
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.
Two Canadians will have a chance to compete for a medal as the Para athletics schedule begins on Friday, starting with Charlotte Bolton in the women’s F41 shot put final. Anthony Bouchard will race in the men’s T52 400m heats in the morning, looking to advance to the evening’s final.
In the pool, Katarina Roxon competes for the first time in Paris after carrying the Canadian flag in the opening ceremony, racing in the women’s 100m breaststroke SB8 heats — the event where she won a gold medal at Rio 2016. Sebastian Massabie will race in the heats of the men’s 100m freestyle S4 event, before Fernando Lu goes in the heats of the men’s 100m breaststroke SB9. Massabie, Philippe Vachon, Hannah Oullette, and Aly Van Wyck-Smart will team up for the 4x50m freestyle relay heats as well. The finals for each of those events are in the evening session, if the Canadians are able to advance from the opening rounds of competition.
At the velodrome, Keely Shaw will race in the women’s C4 3000m individual pursuit qualifying round, looking to advance to the final and get onto the podium again after winning a bronze in this event in Tokyo. Alexandre Hayward races in the men’s C3 individual pursuit in his Paralympic debut, with the final for that event also coming later on Friday.
Canadian athletes competing in non-medal events on day 2:
Eleven-time Paralympic medallist Brent Lakatos will begin his sixth Paralympic Games with the heats of the men’s T54 5000m event. Also in the evening Para athletics session, Amanda Rummery races in the first round of the women’s T47 400m.
Jacob Wasserman makes his Paralympic debut in the men’s PR1 single sculls rowing event, looking to advance to Sunday’s final. For more on the former Humboldt Broncos goaltender’s journey to the Paralympics, click here.
In Para archery, Kyle Tremblay will compete in the 1/16 elimination round of the men’s compound open event, taking on Iranian archer Alisina Manshaezadeh. Tremblay was fourth in qualifying on Thursday with a personal best score.
It’ll be another busy day for Canada’s four boccia players. Danik Allard will play two Pool D matches in the men’s BC2 event, taking on Felix Ardi Yudha of Indonesia and Yan Zhiqiang of China. Lance Cryderman will play against John Loung in Pool D action in the men’s BC1 event, and Iulian Ciobanu is up against Abdul Razzaq Abdul Rahman of Malaysia in the BC4. After playing twice on Thursday, Alison Levine only has one match on her Friday schedule, against Nataliia Konenko of Ukraine.
Yuka Chokyu plays the second match of her Group C schedule in the women’s singles WH1 para badminton event, against Daniele Torres Souza of Brazil, after losing her opening match.
In women’s goalball, the Canadians will play Japan in their second preliminary round match after beating the hosts France on Thursday.
After losing to the United States in their opening preliminary round match on Thursday, the Canadian wheelchair rugby team takes on Germany on Friday in match number two.
Canada’s men’s wheelchair basketball team opens its preliminary round against France, featuring one of Canada’s opening ceremony flag bearers, superstar Patrick Anderson.
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