Paralympic wake-up call: 2 Canadians win gold medals, smash records at the Games - CBC.ca

Two champions, two gold medals and two world records: Canada's Paralympians were on fire in Tokyo on Wednesday. 

Most recently, Canadian Aurélie Rivard crushed her own world record by five seconds, won gold and defended a title of hers for a second time in Tokyo.

The 25-year-old from St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., accomplished all that in four minutes 24.08 seconds in the pool. Her spectacular swim in the women's S10 400-metre freestyle saw her beat competitors by a massive margin.

Earlier in the day, shot putter Greg Stewart, of Kamloops, B.C., made history with his first throw. He posted an incredible distance of 16.75 metres to set a new Paralympic record in his first-ever Games.

The 35-year-old topped the field in the F46 category and was blown away by the result, saying he was shocked and grateful for the love that got him to the Games.

WATCH | Rivard destroys her own world record to become Paralympic champion:

Aurélie Rivard smashes own world record, adds another gold to Paralympic tally

10 hours ago

The St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que. native swims to gold in the women's 400m freestyle S10 final. 8:02

WATCH | Stewart breaks a Paralympic record on his way to a gold medal:

Canada's Greg Stewart sets Paralympic record en route to gold in men's F46 shot put

13 hours ago

The 35-year-old from Kamloops, B.C., threw a Paralympic record of 16.75 metres to capture gold in men's F46 shot put. 4:02

Here's more of what you missed on Wednesday: 

Lakatos wins 3rd silver of Games

Canada's Brent Lakatos raced to his third silver medal in Tokyo, posting a time of 14.55 seconds in the men's T53 100-metre final.

The medal raised Canada's medal count to 16.

Though Lakatos was leading at the start, it was Pongsakorn Paeyo of Thailand who came from behind to take the gold with a Paralympic record time of 14.20.

The athlete also blocked Lakatos from defending his Paralympic title — the 41-year-old Canadian had won the event in Rio 2016.

Canada's remaining wheelchair basketball team ousted

The Canadian men's wheelchair basketball team was unable to pull off an upset in its quarter-final match over Great Britain on Wednesday.

Canada was leading by a single point after three quarters, but Great Britain — the Rio 2016 bronze medallists — used a strong final frame to deal Canada a 66-52 loss.

Canada's Greg Stewart and Aurélie Rivard both won gold medals at the Tokyo Paralympic Games on Wednesday. (Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters, Milan Maglov/CBC)

Superstar Patrick Anderson, who came out of retirement to play in Tokyo, scored 22 points in the game. The Canadian women's team, which had previously lost its quarter-final, was cheering them on.

Badminton joins Paralympic action

Badminton debuted in Tokyo on Wednesday for the first time in Paralympic history. Around 90 athletes will compete in 14 events, singles and doubles, in the sport over the next five days.

It was a Japan vs. Indonesia mixed-doubles match to open the tournament, with the latter country taking the first match 2-0.

Lee Manning of Britain and Patrick Anderson of Canada in action during the men's wheelchair basketball quarter-final game at the Ariake Arena. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

Physical distancing signs are seen on the stands as a member of Japan's team waits for the first badminton matches during the Tokyo Paralympic Games at Yoyogi National Stadium. (Philip Fong/AFP/Getty Images)

Double-Paralympic champion

Oksana Masters of the United States unleashed a cathartic yell as she approached the finish line of the women's H5 road race. 

Just one day after taking gold in the time trial, Masters raced to another gold at the Fuji International Speedway. 

The athlete — who has impairments believed to be connected to the Chernobyl disaster — has medalled in four different sports at both the summer and winter Games.

She's earned places on the Paralympic podiums in cycling, rowing, biathlon and cross-country skiing.

Netherlands' Megan Hollander hits a return against Portugal's Beatriz Monteiro during their women's singles SU5 group C badminton match. (Philip Fong/AFP/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, in the women's H1-4 road race, Jennette Jansen of the Netherlands won a gold medal 33 years after her last one.

The 53-year-old clung to first, beating her second-place competitor by six seconds, for her 10th Paralympic medal across multiple sports.

Athlete loses gold for showing up late

The fallout continues after a Malaysian shot putter was disqualified after putting down a gold-medal performance on Tuesday.

Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli had showed up late to competition, along with other athletes, but was still allowed to compete. 

But afterward, the referee ruled that there was no "justifiable reason" for their lateness. It meant the Malaysian athlete was disqualified — Ukraine was awarded the top two spots on the podium, and a Greek competitor placed third.

Read more about the International Paralympic Committee's response and how the situation has spilled over into social media posts here.

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2021-09-01 16:14:38Z
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