– Nicholas Bennett, Greg Stewart are Paralympic champions once again; Nathan Clement and Reid Maxwell win first Paralympic medals
– Canada earns right to play for bronze in boccia pairs; women’s wheelchair basketball team into semis
Paris, September 4, 2024 – The Canadian Paralympic Team is up to 17 medals after its most prolific day yet at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on Wednesday. The nation earned four medals – two gold and two silver – across three different sports, with two Paralympic champions securing their second career gold medals.
MEDALS WON ON SEPTEMBER 4
GOLD – Greg Stewart, Para Athletics, Men’s F46 Shot Put
GOLD – Nicholas Bennett, Para Swimming, Men’s 200m Individual Medley SM14
SILVER – Nathan Clement, Para Cycling Road, Men’s T1-2 Time Trial
SILVER – Reid Maxwell, Para Swimming, Men’s 400m freestyle S8
OVERALL MEDAL TOTAL
GOLD – 4
SILVER – 6
BRONZE – 7
TOTAL – 17
RESULTS SUMMARY
Para Athletics
Greg Stewart is now a two-time Paralympic champion after claiming his second consecutive gold medal in the men’s F46 shot put. Stewart, who retired after the Tokyo Games but made a comeback for Paris, secured first position with a best throw of 16.38 metres.
“I think it was a pretty fun competition,” said Stewart, who said he plans to continue competing leading into the Los Angeles 2028 Games. “Our sport is growing a lot; we had three guys throw over 16 in this final.”
“I wanted to come back,” he said of his return to the sport. “I wanted to continue supporting the Paralympic Movement, and continue to support athletes any way we can. So I’m just really happy and grateful to be here.”
Two more throwers were in competition Wednesday, with Charlotte Bolton posting sixth place in the women’s F41 discus and Katie Pegg, in her Paralympic debut, finishing seventh in the women’s F46 shot put.
Para Swimming
Nicholas Bennett captured Canada’s fourth gold medal of the Games – two courtesy of the 20-year-old – with a victory in the men’s 200m individual medley SM14. He set a new Paralympic record of 2:06.05, just shy of his own world record of 2:05.97.
“We just wanted to keep the energy up every night,” said Bennett. “But seven one-hundredths off my world record, it’s a success to say the least.”
With now three medals at the Games – two gold and a silver – Bennett is cementing his status as one of the world’s top Para swimmers. He is the first Canadian male Para swimmer to win multiple gold medals at a single Games since 2004.
“It’s still kind of hard to believe of course, because just yesterday, I was just a 14-year-old who just got classed,” he said. “But to do it so young, it just shows that I have more to come.”
Reid Maxwell, the youngest member of the Canadian Paralympic Team who turned 17 just two days ago, won his first career Paralympic medal – a silver in the men’s 400m freestyle S8. After setting a new Americas record in the heats, he bested it in the final and swam nearly two seconds faster for a time of 4:23.90. This is Maxwell’s first Paralympic medal at his debut Games.
“It’s definitely everything I’ve always dreamed of to just come here,” said Maxwell. “So being able to medal here is a whole other thing. And honestly, that fight for the last 50 [metres] definitely made it worth it.”
Tess Routliffe, a silver medallist in the 200m IM earlier in the Games, was the third swimmer in the evening finals. She finished eighth in the women’s 100m freestyle S7.
In the morning, Philippe Vachon in the men’s 400m freestyle S8, Abi Tripp in the women’s 400m freestyle S8, Shelby Newkirk and Sabrina Duchesne in the women’s 100m freestyle S7, and Mary Jibb in the women’s 100m freestyle S9 did not advance out of the heats.
Para Cycling Road
Nathan Clement, competing at his second Paralympic Games but first in Para cycling, is now a silver medallist. Finishing second in the men’s T1-2 time trial with a time of 22:53:36, it is the former Paralympic swimmer’s first Games medal.
“It’s special. It’s a lifetime of work,” said Clement. “I’ve been in the Para sport journey since about, really 11, 12 years old, and although I wore different hats as a CP seven-a-side soccer player, as a Para swimmer and now as a Para cyclist, I am very fortunate because many athletes don’t get to go to two Games, let alone two Games in a different sport, let alone get on a podium and stand up there seeing that Canadian flag being raised.”
Five other riders raced on the day, with Keely Shaw (women’s C4) and Alexandre Hayward (men’s C3), both track cycling medallists in Paris, each posting fifth-place finishes in their respective events. Charles Moreau was seventh in the men’s H3 event, Mel Pemble 14th in the women’s C3 category, and Kate O’Brien did not finish her race in the women’s C4.
Boccia
Alison Levine and Iulian Ciobanu will play for the bronze medal in the BC4 pairs event after falling in the semifinals 6-4 to Hong Kong’s Cheung Yuen and Leung Yuk Wing. It was Canada’s first appearance in a boccia semifinal since London 2012 when Canada’s co-chef de mission Josh Vander Vies and partner Marco Dispaltro won bronze in the BC4 pairs. Earlier in the day, Levine and Ciobanu defeated Ukraine 6-0 to advance into the semifinals.
Wheelchair Basketball
Canada is through to the women’s wheelchair basketball semifinals thanks to a 71-53 triumph over Germany in the quarterfinals. Kady Dandeneau and Arinn Young led the squad in scoring with 33 and 18 points, respectively.
The team is now guaranteed a higher finish than Tokyo 2020, where it was fifth, and its best result since 2004 when Canada won bronze.
Goalball
Canada’s women’s goalball team is going home with a fifth-place finish, closing out its Paris 2024 tournament with a victory. Five-time Paralympian Amy Burk scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over Japan.
“Despite not finishing as high in the standings as we would have liked, I am incredibly proud of what this team has accomplished,” said Burk. “To be able to put our emotions and feelings on hold after our quarterfinal loss and come out with a win to claim fifth against Japan shows how much this team wants to win. These games are filled with so many memories and we will always remember the journey it took to get here. I am so very thankful I got to be a part of this team.”
CLICK HERE for the complete results on Wednesday September 4.