Canadian canoeist Brianna Hennessy paddles to Paralympic silver in va'a single 200m VL2
Women win Canada's first ever sitting volleyball medal in bronze game against Brazil
Canadian para canoeist Brianna Hennessy raced to her first Paralympic medal with a reminder of her mother on her paddle.
The 39-year-old from Ottawa took silver in the women's 200-metre sprint Saturday in Paris.
The design on Hennessy's paddle includes a cardinal in remembrance of her late mother Norma, the letter "W' for Wonder Woman and a cat.
"My mother passed away last year, so I said I'd be racing down the course with her," Hennessy said Saturday at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.
"In our family, a cardinal represents what our love means. My mum was my Wonder Woman, and this is a cardinal rising up. This is our family pet that passed away two months after my mum, of cancer, because I think their love was together.
"All this represents so much to me, so it's my passion piece for Paris."
WATCH l Hennessy wins Canada's 1st-ever Paralympic medal in Para canoe:
Hennessy finished just over a second behind gold medallist Emma Wiggs of Britain in the women's VL2 Va'a, which is a canoe that has a support float and is propelled with a single-blade paddle.
Hennessy's neck was broken when she was struck by a speeding taxi driver in Toronto in 2014 when she was 30. She has tetraplegia, which is paralysis in her arms and legs.
"This year's the 10-year anniversary of my accident," Hennessy said. "I should have been dead. I've been fighting back ever since.
After placing fifth in her Paralympic debut in Tokyo three years ago, Hennessy was a silver medallist in the last three straight world championships in the event.
She will race the women's kayak single Sunday. Hennessy and Wiggs have a tradition of hugging after races.
"I always talk about the incredible athletes here, and how the Paralympics means so much more because everyone here has a million reasons to give up, and we've all chosen to just go on," the Canadian said. "It's more about the camaraderie."
WATCH l Hennessy speaks of late mother after winning silver:
Hennessy boxed and played hockey and rugby before she was hit by the taxi.
She was introduced to wheelchair rugby by the Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre.
She eventually turned to paddling at the Ottawa River Canoe Club, which led her to the Paralympic podium in Paris.
"It has a good ring to it," Hennessy said. "I'm so happy. I feel like we've had to overcome so much to get here, especially in the last year and a half. I'm just so proud."
Erica Scarff of Mississauga, Ont., finished fifth in the women's 200m VL3 final with a mark of 59.48 later on Saturday.
Women win Canada's 1st ever sitting volleyball medal
Meanwhile, Canada won its first Paralympic medal in women's sitting volleyball and ended the country's team sport podium drought.
The women's volleyball team swept Brazil 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-18) to take the bronze medal at North Paris Arena.
The women were the first Canadian side to claim a Paralympic medal in a team sport since the men's wheelchair basketball team won gold in London in 2012.
"Oh my gosh, literally disbelief, but also, we did it," said veteran Heidi Peters of Neerlandia, Alta. "It's indescribable."
WATCH | Canada claims historic bronze in sitting volleyball:
Canada's women's wheelchair basketball team will play for bronze Sunday against China. Canada fell 75-62 to Germany in the men's bronze-medal game Saturday.
The women's sitting volleyball team finished seventh in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and fourth in Tokyo three years ago.
Seven players of the dozen Canadians were Rio veterans and nine returned from the team in Tokyo. Eleven were members of the squad that earned a silver medal at the 2022 world championship.
"I know how hard every athlete and every staff member and all of our family back home have worked for this moment," captain Danielle Ellis said. "It's been years and years and years in the making, our third Paralympic Games, and we knew we wanted to be there."
The women earned a measure of revenge on the Brazilians, who beat Canada for bronze in Tokyo and also in a pool game in Paris.
Calgary's Jennifer Oakes led Canada with 10 attack points. Ellis of White Rock, B.C., and Peters each contributed nine.
Canada registered 15 digs as a team to Brazil's 10.
"Losing to Brazil in the second game was tough," Ellis said. "It just lit the fire beneath us."
Canada's men's wheelchair basketball team fell 75-62 to Germany in the bronze-medal game in Paris.
Men's wheelchair basketball team bested for bronze
Canada fell just short of winning its first Paralympic wheelchair basketball medal since 2012 on Saturday, losing 75-62 to Germany in the bronze-medal match.
Patrick Anderson's game-high 31 points weren't enough as the Germans took the lead in the third quarter and never looked back.
The Canadians started strong and led 35-27 at halftime, but Germany managed to contain the 45-year-old Anderson in the third and fourth quarters while continuing to pull away with accurate shots at Bercy Arena.
The Canadian co-flagbearer recorded his third double-double of the tournament, collecting 11 rebounds and four assists. He said the locker room was silent after the game.
"We're too disappointed for words at the moment. I just asked the guys if we could get together for a picture before we left court — this being my last game," he said.
Canada's gold-medal hopes were dashed in the semifinals in an 80-43 loss to the reigning Paralympic and world champion Americans.
Canada's last Paralympic podium finish in the sport came in London, where the men won their third title in four editions of the tournament. The world championships are headed to Ottawa in 2026.
"This team has some wonderful leadership, some wonderful talent and players, great guys with a lot of drive and an awesome opportunity to host worlds in two years," Anderson said. "That's part of the reason it's simply a good time to kind of get out of the way and let this current or next generation use that as a launchpad for whatever this next phase is going to look like for Team Canada."
It's Germany's first Paralympic medal in men's wheelchair basketball since taking bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
The U.S. takes on Great Britain in the gold-medal game at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Other Canadian results:
- Paralympic rookie Noah Vucsics placed fifth in the men's T20 long jump with a top attempt of 7.15 metres.
- Alexandre Hayward finished one spot off the podium in the men's C1-3 road cycling race, completing the 71-kilometre course in Clichy-sous-bois in 1:45:09.
- Sprinter Sheriauna Haase placed sixth in the 200m T47 final with her time of 25.76 seconds.
- Nathan Clement was ninth in the men's T1-2 road cycling race, posting a time of 1:31:20 in the 42.6km event.
- Equestrian rider Roberta Sheffield and horse Fairuza finished sixth in the individual freestyle Grade II event, earning a total score of 73.187 at Château de Versailles.
Canada's medal count: 29 (10 gold, 9 silver, 10 bronze)
With files from The Canadian Press
