Paralympic wake-up call: Canadians win double bronze for 1st medals at Tokyo Games
Here's what you may have missed on Day 1 of the Tokyo Paralympic Games
It's the first day of competition at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, and Canada's wasting no time clinching spots on the podium.
Racing in the velodrome and in the pool, two Canadian athletes secured the country's first medals of the Games on Wednesday.
It was track cyclist Keely Shaw who earned the first one, a bronze in the women's C4 3,000-metre individual pursuit. The 27-year-old athlete — originally from Midale, Sask., now in Saskatoon — was making her Paralympic debut and won her race in three minutes 48.342 seconds.
WATCH | CBC Sports' Jacqueline Doorey recaps Day 1 of the Tokyo Paralympics:
Then, decorated swimmer Aurélie Rivard won a bronze of her own in the S10 50-metre freestyle final. The Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., native entered the race as the defending champion, having earned gold — plus three other medals — in Rio 2016.
Her race time of 28.11 seconds added a sixth Paralympic medal to her growing list of accomplishments.
WATCH | Track cyclist Keely Shaw races to Canada's first medal of Tokyo Paralympics:
WATCH | Swimming star Aurélie Rivard claims bronze at Tokyo Aquatics Centre:
Here's a quick a look at what you might have missed on Wednesday in Tokyo:
Canadian teams off the mark
Multiple Canadian teams competed in their opening matches on Wednesday, resulting in a pair of losses and one victory.
The women's goalball team fell 5-1 to the Russian Paralympic Committee, while Canada's wheelchair rugby team also dropped its opener to Great Britain.
Emma Reinke of St. Thomas, Ont., ensured Canada didn't stay scoreless in goalball — a sport contested by visually impaired athletes — and recorded a point for the team in her Paralympic debut.
And Zak Madell of Okotoks, Alta., scored an impressive 31 tries in wheelchair rugby — but the persistent Brits stayed ahead, beating Canada 50-47.
It was the women's wheelchair basketball team that pulled out a win on the court, battling at the Ariake Arena in a close game also against Great Britain.
The Canadians shot into the lead during the second half and stayed ahead to trump their opponent 73-54. Kady Dandeneau of Pender Island, B.C., was responsible for nearly half of Canada's points, scoring 32 of them herself.
Debut gold for one athlete, 15th gold for another
The first gold medal of the Paralympic Games came on the track at the Izu Velodrome. Paige Greco of Australia cycled to first place and overlapped her fellow competitor in her Paralympic debut.
The athlete beamed and shook her fist at the end of the race, having clocked a world-record time in the event at three minutes 50.815 seconds.
Meanwhile, Britain's Sarah Storey earned her 15th Paralympic gold medal in the C5 3,000-metre individual pursuit. She set a new world record and Paralympic record with her stellar performance — a time of 3:27.057.
The win is also her fourth consecutive in the event. Her first-ever Paralympic gold medal came at her first Games in 1992, where Storey won a total of five medals at the age of 14.
Canada's oldest and youngest athletes compete
Both Canada's oldest and youngest athletes competed in Tokyo on Wednesday. Wheelchair fencer Sylvie Morel — who hit the scene in 2000 as Canada's first Paralympian in the sport — returned to competition at the age of 64, making her debut in women's sabre.
And Nicholas Bennett, 17, made a splash in the pool for his debut, placing sixth in his qualifying heat of the men's S14 100-metre butterfly. While he didn't advance from his heat, the teenager broke his own Canadian record in a time of 58.38 seconds.
