With canoe and kayak events at the Sea Forest Waterway beginning Wednesday, Canada will have three athletes vying for semi-finals.
Brianna Hennessy, Andrea Nelson, and Mathieu St-Pierre,y will all be in action in their respective heats looking to move on.
Hennessey will be taking part in the first heat in the Women’s Va’a Single 200m – VL2 and the second heat of the Women’s Kayak Single 200m. (The word Va’a means boat, ship, or canoe in Samoan, Hawaiian, and Tahitian and is used to describe the sport of outrigger canoeing.)
The 36-year-old from Ottawa is in her first Paralympic Games after qualifying with a fourth-place finish in the women’s VL2 200m at a World Cup event in Hungary in May.
Originally a wheelchair rugby player, it was suggested she try Para canoe by teammate and Team Canada co-captain Patrice Dagenais, when the pandemic stopped team events.
Meanwhile, Nelson will compete in the first heat of the Women’s Kayak Single 200m – KL2.
The Markham native qualified for her first Paralympics via a fifth place finish at the world championships. She won silver and bronze in the 2019 Pan Am Championships in Brazil and looks to add to that in Tokyo.
St-Pierre will take part in the first heat of the Men’s Va’a Single 200m – VL2.
The 33-year-old qualified for the games with a career best fifth place in Hungary at a World Cup event. He joined the national team in 2017 and Tokyo is his first career Paralympic appearance.
These events begin Wednesday 8:40 p.m. EST/Thursday 9:40 a.m. JST