Ruby Stevens wins Canada's 1st gold at Parapan Am Games, Stephanie Chan its 1st medal
Devin Heroux | CBC Sports | Posted: November 18, 2023 2:28 PM | Last Updated: November 19, 2023
Table tennis athlete Chan wins bronze to get Canada into medal column
Stephanie Chan, a 66-year-old Para table tennis player from Vancouver, captured Canada's first medal at the Parapan Am Games in Santiago, Chile, on Saturday, while Para swimmer Ruby Stevens secured Canada's first gold later in the day.
Despite losing a semifinal match to Giselle Munoz of Argentina on Saturday morning at the event, Chan was awarded a bronze medal — the third- and fourth-place finishers both received bronze medals.
It's her sixth medal and second consecutive bronze at the Games.
"So excited. I still got a medal. A bronze medal," she said after the match.
Chan, who will have heart surgery after the Games, admitted to not feeling well.
"I had some problems with my breathing. Gabrielle played well but this heart problem did not allow me to play a lot this year," she said.
How Chan arrived at her fifth Parapan Am Games and competed is remarkable.
Chan has been dealing with the heart issue for months but plans to continue competing.
"My heart has some problems," Chan said. "After surgery I will come again to table tennis and have a chance to come to Parapan Am again."
Canadian national team coach Dejan Papic lauded Chan's courage.
''She found the strength to compete once again for the Canadian team," Papic said in a statement released by the Canadian Paralympic Committee. "Considering her condition at these Games this may have been her best achievement. She did much more than we expected."
WATCH | Watch some of the best performances from the Parapan Am Games:
Chan is scheduled to compete later this week in mixed doubles with Asad Hussain Syed of Toronto.
Munoz plays for a gold medal later Saturday against defending champion Claudia Perez of Mexico, who received a bye after finishing first in the preliminary round.
'I still have the confidence'
For Chan, resilience is a part of her DNA.
Before the Lima Games four years ago she lost her mother and still competed. Then her husband passed away in 2022.
Chan pushed on, continuing to compete to honour her mother and husband and all of those who have supported her.
"Thank you to everyone who supports me. It makes me more confident to fight. This is my spirit for people who support me. I still have the confidence to beat other people," she said.
"I'll get my heart good and then I can do anything."
Chan was Canada's opening ceremony flag-bearer at the 2019 Games. Her crowning achievement came on home soil when she won women's singles gold at Toronto 2015.
WATCH | Shaw, Gautier lead Canada into 2023 Parapan Am Games:
But now the focus is on getting healthy.
"Health is important first. If no health, I cannot play," she said.
"I will be back."
Stevens wins Para swimming gold in style
Another first of the Parapan Am Games came later on Saturday in the pool, with Stevens securing the first gold medal for Canada.
The Scarborough, Ont., native got Canada going at the Centro Acuático in style, setting a Parapan Am Games record of 1 minute, 30.41 seconds in the women's S6 100-metre backstroke final.
The 21-year-old newcomer to the sport dominated the race from the start, finishing 3.97 seconds ahead of silver medallist Vianney Trejo of Mexico, and 4.01 ahead of third-place American Megan Gioffreda.
WATCH | Stevens wins gold in Parapan Am Games record time:
"It honestly doesn't feel real," said Stevens to CBC Sports. "It's probably going to take a little bit to settle in. But I'm just so happy and so grateful to be given this opportunity."
Colombia's Sara Varga set the Games record of 1:33.03 in Lima, Peru, in 2019, while American Ellie Marks' world record time of 1:19.57 - set in Japan in 2021 - still stands.
Stevens completed her international classification just last month at the Para swimming World Series stop in Guadalajara, Mexico, wasting no time making an impact for Canada on a major international stage.
"I don't even know how to describe the shock, but also just everying, all the emotions coming at me at once," Stevens said to CBC Sports. "But they're all good."
MacDonald, Lu add medals in pool for Canada
Tyson MacDonald added to Canada's medal haul with a bronze in the men's S14 200m freestyle final, clocking in at 2:01.61.
The Woodstock, Ont., native started very strong in second-place after the first 50m split, but was overtaken for silver by Colombia's Juan Garcia, who finished with a time of 1:57.28.
Garcia was just back of Brazil's Gabriel Bandeira, who took gold with a Parapan Am Games record time of 1:56.30.
The 27-year-old MacDonald was thrilled with his time, besting his bronze-medal winning time at the 2019 Parapan Am Games in Peru in the event by 1.83 seconds.
"It's extra special being back on the international stage," said MacDonald to CBC Sports. "To get a second bronze in the [200 freestyle], being faster than I was four years later... I'm very proud of that."
MacDonald also won gold in the 100m backstroke and silver in the 200m individual medley at the 2019 Games.
Fernando Lu capped off Canada's night in the pool by completing the podium sweep with a silver medal in the men's S10 50m freestyle.
The 16-year-old from Burnaby, B.C., clocked in with a time of 25.28 in his Parapan Am Games debut.
"It's my first time being at an international meet, so it feels good to medal," said Lu to CBC Sports. "I've never seen a crowd so big in my life."
Lu's teammate Jagdev Gill finished 0.30 seconds back of a podium finish, with American Yaseen El-Demerdash claiming bronze in 25.42.
Phelipe Melo of Brazil won gold with a time of 23.93, just 0.51 seconds off of his own Parapan Am Games record set in Toronto in 2015, and 0.77 seconds back of the world record time set by countrymate Andre Brasil Esteves in 2012.