A bronze medal for Canada at the Paralympics briefly hung in the balance of controversy at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
It came under extraordinary circumstances — a pair of disqualifications that left the Canadian women’s swimming relay team waiting in anticipation on Sunday.
Great Britain and the United States were disqualified in the women’s 4×100-metre freestyle relay for early takeoffs during the second exchange of the race. The latter country protested the race but the decision was upheld, resulting in Canada being awarded third place and the bronze medal — its 11th of the Games.
The team of Morgan Bird, Katarina Roxon, Sabrina Duchesne, and Aurélie Rivard looked at each other and around the pool deck when the news of the disqualification broke following the race, seemingly afraid to celebrate too early.
Due to the United States’ protest, the medal ceremony for the event was postponed.
At nearly the same time as the swimming chaos, Canadian wheelchair racer Brent Lakatos charged to another silver medal in Tokyo, this time in the men’s T53 400-metre race.
Fresh off his other second-place win, the 41-year-old from Dorval, Que., pushed to the finish line in a personal best time of 46.75 seconds. But it wasn’t enough to catch Thailand’s Pongsakorn Paeyo, who broke Lakatos’s world record in a blistering 46.61.
The Canadian women’s 4×100-metre freestyle relay team was awarded a third-place finish following a pair of disqualifications at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on Sunday. (Oliver Walters/CBC)
Canada gets bronze in Para triathlon
While it didn’t happen overnight in Canada, it’s impossible not to mention Stefan Daniel’s incredible bronze medal race in the men’s PTS5 Para triathlon.
The 24-year-old finished in 59 minutes 22 seconds and adds it to his silver medal from the Para triathlon PT4 at Rio 2016.
“I absolutely fought for this. I’m really proud of my effort today,” he told CBC Sports’s Devin Heroux.
The athlete added that he wants to show that Para sport is just as legitimate as the Olympic side.
“I think we’re doing a good job of proving that here … I’m really excited with where the sport’s at; I’m really hoping I inspired Canadians back home, and maybe some people will go ride a bike today or go for a run.”
WATCH | Canada’s Stefan Daniel on his bronze medal accomplishment:
Stefan Daniel reflects after his bronze medal performance
21 hours ago
Stefan Daniel of Calgary says that he’s really proud of his effort and hopes that it inspires Canadians. 1:49
Canada’s Kamylle Frenette finished just outside of the medals in fourth place with a time of one hour 10:09 minutes in the in the women’s PTS5 Para triathlon.
Frenette, 25, has also been working on the front line as a pharmacy student, helping to give people the COVID-19 vaccine in Nova Scotia clinics.
Paying tribute to former captain
The Canadian men’s wheelchair basketball team now has its first win in Tokyo. It came against Korea in a 74-64 battle at the Ariake Arena on Sunday.
Along with impressive skill, there’s a lot of heart with this team.
The men have been sporting Superman tattoos as a tribute to its former co-captain David Eng, who has one on his shoulder.
Eng has three Paralympic medals, two of them gold, and was the flag-bearer at the opening ceremony for Rio 2016. But after a bureaucratic disagreement on classifications, athletes were reassessed and Eng was ineligible for the team.
The athlete posted a ‘thank you’ message on Instagram, saying he got emotional while acting as commentator for the game for Radio-Canada.
Football, shooting launch in Tokyo
Two more sports got underway in Tokyo on Sunday — football 5-a-side and shooting.
While one of the five players can be sighted — the goalie — Para football is played solely by the visually impaired. Though fans are banned from these Games, it’s required that crowds must be silent until a goal is scored — players use their hearing to track the ball, which makes noise.
Canada’s Brent Lakatos raced to silver in the men’s T53 400m final on Sunday. (Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Shooting athletes were involved with training sessions at the Asaka Shooting Range. But football matches truly began, with host nation Japan earning a 4-0 win over France on home soil.
A centimetre from gold
Garrah Tnaiash of Iraq roared after he had the throw of his life at the National Stadium in Tokyo, hitting a mark of 11.15 metres in the men’s F40 shot put.
It was a world record — but only for a moment.
Denis Gnezdilov of the Russian Paralympic Committee also came to play and beat the athlete with a throw one centimetre further to claim the world record title and the gold medal.
The athletes hugged after a hard-fought battle. And Portugal’s Miguel Monteiro, the previous world record holder, secured the bronze.
Satoru Hinata, left, of Team Japan and Babacar Niang, right, of Team France compete in the football 5-a-side Preliminary Round Group A match at the Aomi Urban Sports Park in Tokyo. (Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images)
Swimmers make a splash
Canadian swimmers are destroying national records in the pool.
On Sunday alone, three athletes — Nicolas-Guy Turbide, Nicholas Bennett, and Sabrina Duchesne — had speedy swims in their respective events to set new Canadian marks.
Despite not winning medals, the trailblazers are making a statement in Tokyo.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
