Canada capped the Parapan American Games with five medals Sunday for a total of 52.
CanadaB次元官网网址檚 team of 135 athletes competing in 14 sports claimed nine gold, 15 silver and 28 bronze overall in Santiago, Chile.
The 52 medals ranked sixth among the 21 participating countries while the nine gold were eighth.
Brazil led all countries with 343 medals and 156 gold. The United States was second with 166 medals and 55 gold followed by Colombia, which earned 161 medals and 50 gold.
B次元官网网址淣ot only did we have much to celebrate on the field of play, this was also a superb showcase of the transformative impact sport can have in creating a more inclusive and accessible world,B次元官网网址� Canadian Paralympic Committee president Karen OB次元官网网址橬eill said Sunday in a statement.
The womenB次元官网网址檚 goalball won gold to secure an early berth in the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
MontrealB次元官网网址檚 Alison Levine, who was CanadaB次元官网网址檚 flag-bearer Sunday, and Iulian Ciobanu earned a Paralympic quota spot for Canada in boccia BC4 pairs as did para archer Kyle Tremblay of Deep River, Ont., with a bronze in menB次元官网网址檚 compound.
B次元官网网址淭hese Games were also an important step leading into next summerB次元官网网址檚 Paralympic Games as we seek to best prepare our athletes, coaches, and staff and also provide the best experience possible,B次元官网网址� OB次元官网网址橬eill said.
B次元官网网址淎s we look ahead to the next nine months leading into Paris, we have so many successes, learnings, and stories to build on from here as we seek to continue to elevate Paralympic sport and Paralympic athletes across Canada.B次元官网网址�
Canada also ranked sixth in total medals with 60, including 17 gold, four years ago at the 2019 Parapan Am Games in Lima, Peru.
Levine was named flag-bearer ahead of SundayB次元官网网址檚 closing ceremony.
She captured two gold medals to lead CanadaB次元官网网址檚 boccia team, which won six medals in Santiago.
B次元官网网址淚 never in a million years thought of this moment,B次元官网网址� said Levine. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 shocked. Everyone who has carried that flag has been selected for a reason, and to just feel like I was selected for a reason as well is so amazing. IB次元官网网址檓 truly honoured.B次元官网网址�
On Sunday, Alex Hayward of Quispamsis, N.B., raced to silver in the menB次元官网网址檚 C1-3 road race for his fourth para cycling medal of the Games. He also won two gold and a bronze.
Hayward was two seconds short of gold-medal winner Alejandro Perea of Colombia in the road race with a time of one hour, 18 minutes and three seconds. Fellow Colombian Esneider Munoz Marin took bronze.
B次元官网网址淚 think being so new to cycling, the road aspect of it is the biggest learning curve,B次元官网网址� said Hayward. B次元官网网址淕iven the situation and how it played out IB次元官网网址檓 pretty happy with how I finished.
B次元官网网址淎lejandroB次元官网网址檚 been doing this for a long time, so he sprinted me at the end.B次元官网网址�
William Roussy of Marie, Que., captured silver in the para badminton SL3 menB次元官网网址檚 singles tournament.
The 20-year-old Roussy lost 11-21, 21-18, 21-15 in the final to defending champion Pedro de Vinatea of Peru. Gerson Jair Vargas Lostaunau, also of Peru, won bronze.
B次元官网网址楤次元官网网址橧 was expecting we would have long exchanges, so I knew it was important to warm up really well,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� said Roussy. B次元官网网址楤次元官网网址橲till, this result was a big step in my career. I hope at the next Games I can win the gold.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
Canada won two other badminton medals Sunday as Bernard Lapointe of St-L茅onard, Que., and VancouverB次元官网网址檚 Yuka Chokyu each took bronze.
Lapointe, 39, defeated Jos茅 Chaves of Brazil 21-8,21-4 in 21 minutes to win the menB次元官网网址檚 WH2 bronze-medal match. Jaime Nicol谩s Aranguiz Urrutia of Chile beat BrazilB次元官网网址檚 Julio Cesar Godoy for gold.
B次元官网网址楤次元官网网址橧 didnB次元官网网址檛 sleep all night, I wanted that medal so bad,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� said Lapointe. B次元官网网址楤次元官网网址橧 was in a great zone the whole game, I could feel I was on. I gave him no chances and the match went exactly as planned.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
Chokyu, 56, needed just 20 minutes to beat American Amy Burnett 21-5, 21-5 and place third in womenB次元官网网址檚 wheelchair singles. Daniele Souza of Brazil defeated Jaquelin Karina Burgos Javier in the gold-medal match.
B次元官网网址楤次元官网网址橧B次元官网网址檓 proud to get the bronze medal,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� said Chokyu. B次元官网网址楤次元官网网址橳he level of the players, especially compared to 2019, is going up. Every country is working hard and we are going to have to keep up.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
Nathan Clement of West Vancouver, B.C., claimed a para cycling bronze in the mixed T1-2. American Dennis Dale Connors won gold and Juan Jose Betancourt of Colombia earned silver.
B次元官网网址淚t was a great measuring stick to see where I was at as a rider and as a cyclist,B次元官网网址� said Clement. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 still so much room I need to grow and expand, but overall, seeing my power and feeling throughout the race and from the start of my cycling to where I am now, this was my strongest performance.B次元官网网址�
The para cycling and track and field teams led CanadaB次元官网网址檚 medal charge with a dozen medals in each sport ahead of para swimming with 10.
B次元官网网址淭he past nine days have truly been an outstanding display of athletic achievement and disability pride,B次元官网网址� said CanadaB次元官网网址檚 co-chef de mission Josh Vander Vies.
Clement, who also won gold in Santiago in para cyclingB次元官网网址檚 mixed T1-2, was formerly a para swimmer for Canada who won bronze at the 2015 Parapan Am Games in Toronto.
B次元官网网址淏ehind every performance is a unique journey, and this Games had no shortage of incredible stories to share about the power of sport,B次元官网网址� said co-chef Karolina Wisniewska.
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