Paralympic champion Austin Smeenk still basking in gold at post-Games party back home
Feted by mayor, wheelchair sprinter says accomplishment in Paris still yet to sink in
Austin Smeenk has a tattoo on his arm that reads "dream, desire, do."
And at the Paris Paralympics, the Canadian wheelchair sprinter got it done — he returned with gold and bronze medals.
Speaking back home at his parents' house on Saturday in Shanty Bay, Ont., about 125 kilometres north ot Toronto, Smeenk said his accomplishments still haven't quite sunk in, but that it feels "amazing" coming home with hardware for the first time at his third Games.
"It feels fantastic. A lot of hard work went into it. So it feels, I don't know, like riding a snowmobile in perfect conditions — except everybody cares," Smeenk said.
Indeed, the 27-year-old Smeenk enjoyed hordes of support both in Paris and back home.
On Saturday, they all came together in one place as friends, family and Oro-Medonte, Ont., mayor Randy Greenlaw gathered on a sunny September day to celebrate not only Smeenk's accomplishments, but also welcome back Paralympic discus silver medallist Jesse Zesseu of Toronto; runner Zachary Gingras, of Markham, Ont., who placed fifth in the T38 400m; and thrower Charlotte Bolton, of Tillsonburg, Ont., who earned two top-10 finishes in Paris.
Standing under an arrangement of gold and white balloons, and with a Canadian flag flying above, Greenlaw presented each of the four athletes with a certificate.
"The one thing I really do think is amazing is they refer to what they've experienced as 'we're a team,'" Greenlaw said.
"And we work together for a team, whether it's the ones who were on the podium, who didn't make the podium, who didn't make the team to go there. But they all group back together and support one another."
WATCH l Smeenk races to 800m gold at Paris Paralympics:
Canada's medal haul aided by Smeenk
Canada won 29 medals in total at the Paralympics — eight more than in Tokyo — and doubled its gold count from five to 10.
Both numbers were aided by Smeenk, who'd placed top-eight in four previous Paralympic races but was unable to crack the podium.
At the world championships in Paris last year, he finally broke through with a silver and bronze, portending his prosperous year ahead. But in February in Dubai, Smeenk endured five consecutive fourth-place finishes.
"I got my ass kicked," Smeenk said. "When I got back, one of our coaches out west, Mark Rowland, was like, 'Let them be fast in February — no one cares about being fast in February, and probably the best thing that could have happened to you is that you got beat because now you know how to put your head down and do what you've been doing.'"
Sure enough, Smeenk re-focused and returned to Paris for a Grand Prix in June, where he shattered both the 400- and 800-metre T38 world records.
Those marks changed his mindset, as a sports psychologist advised him to stop worrying about competition and just be his best self.
It all set the table for the real thing a few months later, where back in Paris once again, Smeenk sped to bronze in the 100m and followed it up with an 800m victory that was so resounding he was able to celebrate well before the finish line.
WATCH l Smeenk reflects on winning Paralympic gold:
Bronze before gold
The bronze came three days before the gold.
"I literally put the bronze medal under my bed and didn't look at it and just tried to stay as calm, cool and collected as I could about what was coming up and not be too high about what had just gone on," he said.
Smeenk and Gingras train together at the Athletics Canada West Hub in Victoria. Gingras said he was in the roaring Stade de France when Smeenk won. He said he shed a few tears.
"Having friends, family and support inside the stadium, it was insane. So I really hope that LA [2028] lives up to what Paris did this year just in terms of fans and everything," Gingras said.
Following his gold medal, Smeenk said he's hardly had a moment to himself. There was the pomp and circumstance of the win in Paris, followed by the closing ceremony and a trip to the south of France with fiancée Celine Trapnell.
Now, Smeenk and Gingras are already talking about gearing up for Los Angeles in four year's time.
But Smeenk only arrived back in Canada a few days ago. For the time being, perhaps, it can finally settle in that his dream has, at long last, become reality.
