Canada's Zachary Gingras runs to bronze in men's T38 400m final

It had been a quiet Day 7 on the Canadian medal front, but a 20-year-old from Markham, Ont., ensured the country would not be shut out.

Zachary Gingras won bronze in the men's T38 400-metre final on Tuesday, racing to a personal best time of 50.85 seconds — his first Paralympic medal.

In order to secure a place in Tuesday's final, Gingras achieved a personal best time of 51.81 seconds in his qualifying heat on Monday.

"I was tied up in that last hundred [metres] and I thought the fourth-place guy was going to catch me, which is why I didn't celebrate until they came up with it [on the results board]," Gingras said.

"I can't believe I did it," Gingras added, breathing a sigh of relief and pride following the race."

WATCH | What you missed on Day 7 in Tokyo:

While You Were Sleeping: Medal No. 13 for Canada, Papaconstantinou returns, big blow for women's wheelchair basketball team

3 years ago

Duration 3:14

Zachary Gingras takes bronze in men’s 400m-T3, Marissa Papaconstantinou sets PB but finishes 5th in 200m-T64, Canada's women's wheelchair basketball team loses the USA in the quarterfinals.

Gingras, who lives with cerebral palsy, ran to a silver medal in the event at the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima.

"This country has given me so much. I'm so proud right now," Gingras told CBC Sports' Devin Heroux afterward.

Mexico's Jose Rodolfo Chessani Garcia claimed gold with a personal best time of 49.99 seconds, while Tunisia's Mohamed Farhat Chida took silver, running 50.33 seconds.

WATCH | Zachary Gingras wins 1st Paralympic medal:

While You Were Sleeping: Canada gets medal No. 12 in the pool, plus a surprise final

3 years ago

Duration 3:30

Danielle Dorris swims to a silver, Para equestrian Lauren Barwick makes a last-minute final and updates on Canada's boccia, goalball and wheelchair basketball teams.

Shortly afterward, Marissa Papaconstantinou set yet another personal best in the women's T64 200m final, but fell just shy of the podium with a fifth-place finish.

The 21-year-old from Toronto completed the race in a time of 27.08 seconds.

Papaconstantinou cruised into the final after running a previous personal best time of 27.22 seconds in her Monday heat, where she placed second.

Papaconstantinou is competing at her second Games after debuting in 2016 at 16 years old. However, she was disqualified from the 200 metres in Rio for stepping on the line during her race and placed ninth in the 100 metres.

Just as she seemed to be turning a corner following that disappointment, Papaconstantinou battled through injuries that included two torn hamstrings. 

The T64 category is reserved for athletes with lower limb prostheses.

WATCH | Gingras receives bronze medal:

Women's wheelchair basketball eliminated by U.S.

The journey to the podium for the Canadian women's wheelchair basketball team has come to an end in Tokyo with a loss to their American rivals.

Canada was defeated 63-48 by the United States in the quarter-finals on Tuesday at the Ariake Arena. The Americans, the defending gold medallists, will move on to the semifinals.

WATCH | Canada drops quarter-final game to the United States:

Arinn Young of Legal, Alta., was Canada's top scorer with 11 points, adding eight rebounds and six assists.

Tears fell on the court as the Canadians hoped to earn a medal for the first time since 2004.

"We're all pretty hurt right now, and we're going to continue to hurt, so we're just going to try to end this tournament on a positive note with a potential win," Young said after the loss.

Canada was battling against a team that found its mark in the first two quarters, the United States leading 33 over 23 at halftime.

While the Canadians hoped for momentum in the second half and slashed at the Americans' lead, the threats of Rose Hollermann and Natalie Schneider were too much to regain ground. 

Young was the only Canadian to reach double digits, with Cindy Ouellet scoring nine points and Kady Dandeneau with eight.

It was a rematch of the 2019 Parapan Am Games in Lima, where Canada beat the Americans for the gold medal.

This time the Canadians will play against the winner of the Japan vs. Netherlands game to determine fifth and sixth place.

Shaw just misses podium in road cycling time trial

Canada's Keely Shaw narrowly missed her second medal at the Tokyo Paralympics.

The Saskatoon resident placed fourth in the women's road cycling C4 time trial on Tuesday with a time of 42 minutes 11.09 seconds.

That was less than a minute off of bronze medallist Meg Lemon of Australia, who crossed the finish line in 41:14.42. American Shawn Morelli took gold at 39:33.79 while Australia's Emily Petricola grabbed silver at 39:43.09.

Fellow Canadian Kate O'Brien of Calgary, who rode to silver in the 500-metre time trial on the track in Tokyo, was unable to finish.

On the road at Fuji International Speedway, Shaw was steady in her position, placing fourth after each of the three laps in the 24-kilometre race.

The Canadian has left-side paralysis after falling off a horse in 2009. Prior to the accident she played ice hockey, which she credits for giving her the lower-body strength to compete in cycling.

WATCH | What you missed on Day 6 in Tokyo:

Meanwhile, in the men's C1 time trial, Canada's Ross Wilson placed seventh with a time of 27:57.31.

Wilson won silver in the eight-kilometre event at Rio 2016, but fell behind early in Tokyo and couldn't make up enough ground in his second lap to get back on the podium.

The 39-year-old Edmonton native only began competing in 2014.

Canada also had three competitors in the men's H3 time trial, including 2016 bronze medallist Charles Moreau.

But Moreau, along with Joey Desjardins and Alex Hyndman, failed to crack the top 10 in the 24-kilometre event in Tokyo.

Canadians Marie-Ève Croteau and Shelley Gautier both competed in the women's T1-2 time trial. Croteau, 41, finished strong with a time of 39:45.55 in sixth place. 

Gautier pushed to the end of the 16-kilometre course, notching a factored time of 41:07.32 for eighth place. Since Gautier is a T1 rider, a factor is applied to her real time. 

Canadian trio finish off podium in finals

Nicholas Bennett, Sabrina Duchesne and Alec Elliot all booked spots in medal races at the Tokyo Aquatic Centre, but the trio finished off the podium in their respective events.

Bennett was the first to race, placing seventh in the men's SM14 200-metre individual medley with yet another Canadian-record breaking swim. 

After punching his ticket to the finals in emphatic fashion earlier in the day — setting a Canadian record with his time of 2:13.94 — he bettered that time, lowering it to 2:13.21.

"My experience at the Games has been wonderful," Bennett said following the race. "I was stoked just to be here. I just want to say to my family and friends and who have been watching me from home at 1 a.m., thank you so much. It's made my spirits so much better."

Bennett, Canada's youngest Paralympian in Tokyo at 17, tied for the fourth-fastest time among all the qualifying heats. 

Duchesne also bettered a mark she set in the women's S7 100-metre freestyle final on Tuesday. 

Duchesne, 20, finished her race in a time of 1:14.55 to place sixth. That beat a personal best of 1:14.95 set earlier Tuesday, which allowed her to take the eighth and final spot in Tuesday morning's final.

"The race was good. I would not have expected that outcome today," she said afterward. "Being sixth in the world in the 100 [metre] free is really amazing."

There were two bronzes awarded, as Ukraine's Yelyzaveta Mereshko and China's Jiang Yuyan both touched the wall in 1:11.07. Now they both share an S6 world record. 

Duchesne was previously part of Canada's bronze-medal relay team and placed fifth in the S7 400-metre freestyle.

Canada's Shelby Newkirk and Camille Bérubé failed to advance in the event.

Finally, Elliot posted a fast swim of 58.44 in the S10 100-metre butterfly final to finish fifth. 

He blasted into the final with a time of 58.59 seconds, the fifth-best mark in qualifying.

"It was a good race. Pretty much the same as this morning, just a little bit faster," Elliot said. "I definitely went out faster, came back a little bit slower. But I gave it my best."

The 25-year-old from St-Augustin, Que., placed fourth in the distance in 2016.

In other events, Canada's Katarina Roxon, Angela Marina, Tammy Cunnington and Zach Zona all fell short of medal races.