From a decorated Paralympian claiming his 14th title to maiden medals in Para snowboard, Team Canada made history on the third day of competition in Beijing.
Canadian athletes collected six medals between Sunday night and early Monday, doubling the country’s podium count once again — this time from six to 12.
At 42 years old and taking part in his sixth and final Paralympic Games, Brian McKeever still looks unstoppable.
Joined by guide Russell Kennedy, the Canmore, Alta., native captured his 18th career Paralympic medal, including 14 gold honours, by winning the men’s visually impaired 20-kilometre cross-country race on Monday.
WATCH l McKeever adds a 14th Paralympic gold medal to illustrious career:
Canada’s Brian McKeever claims 14th Paralympic gold medal of his illustrious career
16 hours ago
Duration 7:18
Brian McKeever of Canmore, Alta., won gold in the men’s visually impaired 20-kilometre cross-country event. It’s his 14th career Paralympic gold medal and 18th medal overall. 7:18
And he did it in style: the Canadian’s time of 51 minutes 39.4 seconds was three minutes and 17.7 seconds faster than silver medallist Jake Adicoff of the U.S.
McKeever still has two other podiums to aim for in these Games: the men’s visually impaired sprint event, where the final is set for Wednesday at 1:40 a.m. ET and the men’s visually impaired middle distance race on Friday at 9 p.m. ET.
Here’s more of what you missed on Sunday in Beijing:
Putting Canada on the map
It may haven taken three Paralympic Games, as Para snowboard was introduced back in Sochi 2014, but Canada finally has medallists in the sport.
Paralympic rookies Tyler Turner and Lisa DeJong, who claimed gold and silver, respectively, on Day 3 have officially put Canada on the map.
Canada’s Brian McKeever, left, celebrates with guide Russell Kennedy after winning the men’s visually impaired 20-kilometre cross-country race in Zhangjiakou, China on Monday. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Turner, a Campbell River, B.C., native, was nothing short of dominant in the men’s Para snowboard cross SB-LL1 races, capturing Canada’s first-ever Para snowboard title.
Shortly before that, Lisa DeJong, of Biggar, Sask., struck bronze in the women’s Para snowboard cross SB-LL2 race.
WATCH l Turner claims Canada’s 1st-ever Paralympic snowboard title:
Tyler Turner shreds his way to win Canada’s 1st-ever Paralympic snowboard gold medal
14 hours ago
Duration 6:01
Tyler Turner of Campbell River, B.C., dominated the men’s snowboard cross SB-LL1 event to win gold at the 2022 Beijing Paralympics. 6:01
WATCH l DeJong’s bronze hands Canada its 1st-ever Paralympic snowboard medal:
Lisa DeJong delivers Canada’s 1st-ever Paralympic snowboard medal
14 hours ago
Duration 8:02
Lisa DeJong of Biggar, Sask., won the silver medal in the women’s snowboard cross SB-LL2 race at the 2022 Beijing Paralympics. 8:02
Double podium in Para cross-country skiing
Para snowboard wasn’t the only sport to give Canada two medals on Day 3 in Beijing.
Natalie Wilkie, of Salmon Arm, B.C., and Brittany Hudak, of Prince Albert, Sask., claimed the gold and bronze medals, respectively, in the women’s visually impaired 15km cross-country skiing race.
Teammate Emily Young finished just off the podium in fifth.
Tyler Turner of Campbell River, B.C., put on a gold medal performance in the men’s snowboard cross SB-LL1 events final at the Genting Snow Park in Zhangjiakou, China, on Monday. (Peter Cziborra/Reuters)
Wilkie, now 21 years old, was the youngest Canadian in PyeongChang 2018 when she came back with three medals, while the 28-year-old Hudak’s bronze represents her second medal over three Paralympic Games so far.
WATCH l Canadians Wilkie, Hudak ski to Paralympic gold, bronze medals:
Canadians Wilkie and Hudak ski to Paralympic gold and bronze medals
15 hours ago
Duration 2:24
Natalie Wilkie won gold and Brittany Hudak won bronze in the women’s standing 15-kilometre cross-country skiing at the 2022 Beijing Paralympics. 2:24
Ramsay grabs 2nd medal in Beijing
It’s back-to-back medals for Canada’s Alana Ramsay.
The Calgary native, fresh off placing third in the women’s standing Para alpine super-G on Day 2, added another bronze to her name in the women’s standing super combined alpine event on Day 3.
Ramsay, who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy and had to overcome a post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis following a crash in 2019, had the fourth-best time in both super-G and slalom portions of the race, combining for a time of two minutes 6.33 seconds.
WATCH l Calgary’s Ramasy claims 2nd bronze at Beijing Paralympics:
Calgary’s Alana Ramsay collects 2nd bronze medal at Beijing Paralympics
5 hours ago
Duration 3:27
Alana Ramsay collected her second medal of the Beijing Paralympics on Monday, winning bronze in the women’s standing super combined alpine event. Ramsay also won bronze a day earlier in the super-G race. 3:27
The 27-year-old also claimed bronze in both events in PyeongChang 2018, maintaining her spot among the sport’s elite four years later.
Mollie Jepsen of West Vancouver, B.C., who won gold four years ago, didn’t finish the slalom portion of the event, therefore not showing up in the standings.
But it wasn’t all celebratory for Canada on Day 3.
Mac Marcoux, of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has been ruled out of the remainder of the Beijing Paralympics with a lower-body injury sustained in a Sunday super-G crash, the Canadian Paralympic Committee confirmed Monday.
The six-time Paralympic medallist, who earned the silver medal in the the men’s visually impaired downhill race on Day 1, had already missed the 2021 World Para Snow Sports Championships in January due to a back injury.
Canada’s Brittany Hudak, Emily Young, and Natalie Wilkie (left-right) all cracked the top four in the women’s standing Para cross-country skiing race in Zhangjiakou, China on Sunday. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
On another low note for Canadian athletes, four-time Paralympian Mark Arendz saw his podium streak come to an end.
After going six for six for podiums in PyeongChang 2018 and setting a Canadian record for most medals in a single Winter Paralympics, Arendz added another medal to his name with a bronze in men’s 6km standing biathlon sprint on Day 1 in Beijing.
The Hartsville, P.E.I, native, however, finished fourth in the standing 20km classical technique cross-country event on Monday, missing the podium by 14.2 seconds.
Arendz also claimed two medals in Sochi 2014.
Canada finally loses in wheelchair curling
The Canadian wheelchair curling team was defeated for the first time at the Beijing Paralympics with a 6-3 loss to Sweden in round-robin play.
Canada’s win streak to start the competition ends at four, after victories over the U.S., Latvia, Switzerland, and defending Paralympic champions China in the opening draw.
Canadian co-flag-bearer Ina Forrest, Mark Ideson, Dennis Thiessen and Jon Thurston return to the ice against South Korea on Monday at 8.30 p.m. ET, before a matchup against Slovakia on Tuesday at 6:30 a.m. ET.
WATCH l Canada remains undefeated in wheelchair curling after victory over Americans:
Canada remains undefeated in wheelchair curling after victory over Americans
13 hours ago
Duration 0:50
Canada scored a triple in the fourth end, and they continued their winning ways with a 7-4 victory over the United to improve to 4-0 in round-robin play at the 2022 Beijing Paralympics. 0:50
Here’s a quick look at other Day 3 Beijing events:
Canada’s Mark Arendz placed fourth in the standing 20km classical technique cross-country event on Monday, putting an end to a seven-podium streak in the Paralympics that spanned back to PyeongChang 2018. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
Para alpine skier Giacomo Bertagnolli handed Italy its first gold medal in the 2022 Paralympics in the men’s super combined super-G at Yanqing National Alpine Skiing Centre on Monday. (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Henrieta Farkasova, of Slovakia, successfully defended her women’s vision-impaired super combined title from PyeongChang 2018 for her 11th overall Paralympic gold medal. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points in a record-setting performance and the Sacramento Kings beat the Toronto Raptors 122-107 on Wednesday night.
Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season for Sacramento. He shot 6 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 at the free-throw line.
Keegan Murray chipped in with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox scored 21.
The 35-year-old DeRozan has scored at least 20 points in each of his first eight games with the Kings, breaking a franchise mark established by Chris Webber when he reached 20 in his first seven games with Sacramento in 1999.
DeRozan spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The six-time All-Star also has played for Toronto and San Antonio during his 16-year NBA career.
RJ Barrett had 23 points to lead the Raptors. Davion Mitchell scored 20 in his first game in Sacramento since being traded to Toronto last summer.
Takeaways
Raptors: Toronto led for most of the first three quarters before wilting in the fourth. The Raptors were outscored 33-14 in the final period.
Kings: Fox played strong defense but struggled again shooting from the floor as he is dealing with a finger injury. Fox went 5 for 17 and just 2 of 8 on 3-pointers. He is 5 for 25 from beyond the arc in his last three games.
Key moment
The Kings trailed 95-89 early in the fourth before going on a 9-0 run that gave them the lead for good. DeRozan started the spurt with a jumper, and Malik Monk scored the final seven points.
Key stat
Sabonis had the eighth game in the NBA since at least 1982-83 with a triple-double while missing no shots from the field or foul line. The previous player to do it was Josh Giddey for Oklahoma City against Portland on Jan. 11.
Up next
Raptors: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, the third stop on a five-game trip.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps are one win away from moving on to the next round of the Major League Soccer playoffs.
To get there, however, the Whitecaps will need to pull off the improbable by defeating the powerhouse Los Angeles FC for a second straight game.
Vancouver blanked the visitors 3-0 on Sunday to level their best-of-three first-round playoff series at a game apiece. As the matchup shifts back to California for a decisive Game 3 on Friday, the Whitecaps are looking for a repeat performance, said striker Brian White.
“We take the good and the bad from last game, learn from what we could have done better and go to LAFC with confidence and, obviously, with a whole lot of respect,” he said.
“We know that we can go there and give them a very good fight and hopefully come away with a win.”
The winner of Friday’s game will face the No. 4-seed Seattle Sounders in a one-game Western Conference semifinal on Nov. 23 or 24.
The ‘Caps finished the regular season eighth in the west with a 13-13-8 record and have since surprised many with their post-season play.
First, Vancouver trounced its regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, 5-0 in a wild-card game. Then, the squad dropped a tightly contested 2-1 decision to the top-seeded L.A. before posting a decisive home victory on Sunday.
Vancouver has scored seven goals this post-season, second only to the L.A. Galaxy (nine). Vancouver also leads the league in expected goals (6.84) through the playoffs.
No one outside of the club expected the Whitecaps to win when the Vancouver-L. A. series began, said defender Ranko Veselinovic.
“We’ve shown to ourselves that we can compete with them,” he said.
Now in his fifth season with the ‘Caps, Veselinovic said Friday’s game will be the biggest he’s played for the team.
“We haven’t had much success in the playoffs so, definitely, this is the one that can put our season on another level,” he said.
This is the second year in a row the Whitecaps have faced LAFC in the first round of the playoffs and last year, Vancouver was ousted in two straight games.
The team isn’t thinking about revenge as it prepares for Game 3, White said.
“More importantly than (beating LAFC), we want to get to the next round,” he said. “LAFC’s a very good team. We’ve come up against them a number of times in different competitions and they always seem to get the better of us. So it’d be huge for us to get the better of them this time.”
Earning a win last weekend required slowing L.A.’s transition game and limiting offensive opportunities for the team’s big stars, including Denis Bouanga.
Those factors will be important again on Friday, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini, who warned that his team could face a different style of game.
“I think the most important thing is going to be to match their intensity at the beginning of the game,” he said. “Because I think they’re going to come at us a million miles per hour.”
The ‘Caps will once again look to captain Ryan Gauld for some offensive firepower. The Scottish attacking midfielder leads MLS in playoff goals with five and has scored in all three of Vancouver’s post-season appearances this year.
Gearing up for another do-or-die matchup is exciting, Gauld said.
“Knowing it’s a winner-takes-all kind of game, being in that kind of environment is nice,” he said. “It’s when you see the best in players.”
LAFC faces the bulk of the pressure heading into the matchup, Sartini said, given the club’s appearances in the last two MLS Cup finals and its 2022 championship title.
“They’re supposed to win and we are not,” the coach said. “But it’s beautiful to have a little bit of pressure on us, too.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
Each PWHL team operated under its city name, with players wearing jerseys featuring the league’s logo in its inaugural season before names and logos were announced last month.
The Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens will start the PWHL’s second season on Nov. 30 with jerseys designed to reflect each team’s identity and to be sold to the public as replicas.
Led by PWHL vice-president of brand and marketing Kanan Bhatt-Shah, the league consulted Creative Agency Flower Shop to design the jerseys manufactured by Bauer, the PWHL said Thursday in a statement.
“Players and fans alike have been waiting for this moment and we couldn’t be happier with the six unique looks each team will don moving forward,” said PWHL senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer.
“These jerseys mark the latest evolution in our league’s history, and we can’t wait to see them showcased both on the ice and in the stands.”
Training camps open Tuesday with teams allowed to carry 32 players.
Each team’s 23-player roster, plus three reserves, will be announced Nov. 27.
Each team will play 30 regular-season games, which is six more than the first season.
Minnesota won the first Walter Cup on May 29 by beating Boston three games to two in the championship series.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
