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
9 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
11 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.
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.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.
The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.
He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.
The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.
Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.
“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”
Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.
Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.
The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.
In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.
Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.
The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.
Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.
It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.
Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.
FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.
And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.
“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
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