Paralympic wake-up call: Canadians win double bronze for 1st medals at Tokyo Games - CBC.ca

It's the first day of competition at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, and Canada's wasting no time clinching spots on the podium.

Racing in the velodrome and in the pool, two Canadian athletes secured the country's first medals of the Games on Wednesday.

It was track cyclist Keely Shaw who earned the first one, a bronze in the women's C4 3,000-metre individual pursuit. The 27-year-old athlete — originally from Midale, Sask., now in Saskatoon — was making her Paralympic debut and won her race in three minutes 48.342 seconds.

WATCH | CBC Sports' Jacqueline Doorey recaps Day 1 of the Tokyo Paralympics:

While You Were Sleeping: Canada wins 2 medals, Canadian teams face Great Britain in 'murderball' and wheelchair basketball matches

3 hours ago

Aurelie Rivard and Keely Shaw each took bronze on the first day of competition, plus wheelchair basketball and rugby get underway with Canada facing Great Britain in the first round-robin matches of the tournament. 3:02

Then, decorated swimmer Aurélie Rivard won a bronze of her own in the S10 50-metre freestyle final. The Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., native entered the race as the defending champion, having earned gold — plus three other medals — in Rio 2016.

Her race time of 28.11 seconds added a sixth Paralympic medal to her growing list of accomplishments.

WATCH | Track cyclist Keely Shaw races to Canada's first medal of Tokyo Paralympics:

Canadian Track cyclist Keely Shaw races to bronze for Canada's 1st medal at Tokyo Paralympics

11 hours ago

Midale, Saskatchewan's Keely Shaw secures a bronze medal in the women's C4 3,000-metre individual pursuit at the Izu Veldrome in Shizuoka, Japan. 4:18

WATCH | Swimming star Aurélie Rivard claims bronze at Tokyo Aquatics Centre:

Canadian Para swim star Aurélie Rivard swims to bronze at Tokyo Paralympics

7 hours ago

Reigning Paralympic and world champion Aurélie Rivard captures a bronze medal in the women's 50-metre freestyle S10 event at the Tokyo Paralympics. 1:57

Here's a quick a look at what you might have missed on Wednesday in Tokyo:

Canadian teams off the mark

Multiple Canadian teams competed in their opening matches on Wednesday, resulting in a pair of losses and one victory.

The women's goalball team fell 5-1 to the Russian Paralympic Committee, while the men's wheelchair rugby team also dropped its opener to Great Britain.

Emma Reinke of St. Thomas, Ont., ensured Canada didn't stay scoreless in goalball —  a sport contested by visually impaired athletes — and recorded a point for the team in her Paralympic debut.

And Zak Madell of Okotoks, Alta., scored an impressive 31 tries in wheelchair rugby — but the persistent Brits stayed ahead, beating Canada 50-47.

It was the women's wheelchair basketball team that pulled out a win on the court, battling at the Ariake Arena in a close game also against Great Britain.

The Canadians shot into the lead during the second half and stayed ahead to trump their opponent 73-54. Kady Dandeneau of Pender Island, B.C., was responsible for nearly half of Canada's points, scoring 32 of them herself.

Debut gold for one athlete, 15th gold for another

The first gold medal of the Paralympic Games came on the track at the Izu Velodrome. Paige Greco of Australia cycled to first place and overlapped her fellow competitor in her Paralympic debut.

The athlete beamed and shook her fist at the end of the race, having clocked a world-record time in the event at three minutes 50.815 seconds.

Meanwhile, Britain's Sarah Storey earned her 15th Paralympic gold medal in the C5 3,000-metre individual pursuit. She set a new world record and Paralympic record with her stellar performance — a time of 3:27.057.

The win is also her fourth consecutive in the event. Her first-ever Paralympic gold medal came at her first Games in 1992, where Storey won a total of five medals at the age of 14.

Canada's Keely Shaw reacts after winning her track cycling women's C4 3,000m individual pursuit bronze medal race at the Tokyo Paralympics on Wednesday. (Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)

Canada's oldest and youngest athletes compete

Both Canada's oldest and youngest athletes competed in Tokyo on Wednesday. Wheelchair fencer Sylvie Morel — who hit the scene in 2000 as Canada's first Paralympian in the sport — returned to competition at the age of 64, making her debut in women's sabre.

And Nicholas Bennett, 17, made a splash in the pool for his debut, placing sixth in his qualifying heat of the men's S14 100-metre butterfly. While he didn't advance from his heat, the teenager broke his own Canadian record in a time of 58.38 seconds.

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2021-08-25 15:42:41Z
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