Thanks to another game-high performance by Zak Madell, the Canada wheelchair rugby team beat Germany 54-47 in their second game of the 2024 Paralympics to keep their podium hopes alive, and all but dashing German chances.
Madell scored 28 tries, while Marco Herbst and Josco Wilke were the lead scorers for the opposition, with 22 and 12 tries respectively.
The win keeps hope for a medal round spot alive for the Canadians, helped tremendously by Japan’s earlier victory over Team USA. There are four teams in Group B, and the top-two advance. Canada plays Japan on Saturday.
With back-to-back losses, Germany is all but nearly eliminated from the medal hunt.
In the first quarter, both teams started out evenly paced. The red and white made their intentions known at the 3:40 mark when Madell rocked Wilke’s wheelchair during a German possession, causing a turnover, and scoring a try on the ensuing play.
That would prove to only be the beginning of the European side’s problems in the second quarter, as just two and a half minutes in, Canada would force a turnover on steal by Cody Caldwell, after a poke by Eric Rodriguez.
Less than a minute later, Germany’s Wilke would commit an unforced turnover by throwing the ball out-of-play while inbounding.
With two more turnovers committed, including a deflection and try by Rio Kanda Kovac, the Canadians found themselves up 27-21 at the half.
At second place in the group, and in qualifying postion, Canada’s route to the medal round is clear: beat the undefeated group-leaders, Japan, in the final preliminary on Saturday.
