All three of Canada’s wheelchair fencers failed to advance past the first round of matches on the first day of their event at the 2024 Paralympic Games, in Paris.

Ruth Sylvie Morel (Pincourt, Que.) fenced first in the women’s A sabre category, losing 15-1 to Nataliia Morkvych, from Ukraine, in the table of 32 elimination round.

The 67-year-old four-time Paralympian is Canada’s oldest fencer and was the first Canadian Paralympian to compete in the sport when it was introduced at Sydney 2000.

Although these Games will be her last, she’ll compete in as an athlete, she’s considering returning in the future as a coach.

Trinity Lowthian (Ottawa) fought next, in her Paralympic debut, against South Korea’s Cho Eun Hye, but lost the elimination women’s sabre category B table of 16 match 15-8.

She will continue her Paris 2024 campaign on Friday when the 22-year-old Ottawa Fencing Club member takes on Ukraine’s Olena Fedota-Isaieva in the first round of women’s epee category B competition.

Lowthian is relatively new to the world of wheelchair fencing having only trained in the sport for the last two years. Even so, she competed in the 2024 Americas Championships earlier this year, earning two gold medals and one bronze for Canada.

Ryan Rousell (Saskatoon) fenced next, losing 15-7 against Ukraine’s Artem Manko, in the men’s sabre category A event.

Although the loss eliminated him from medal contention, Rousell continued to compete in the repechage rounds where he beat his first opponent, Lenilson de Oliveira, from Brazil, 15-4.

In the second repechage round, Rousell faced Italy’s Edoardo Giordan, in a tough battle he eventually lost 15-5.

The two-time Paralympian is the sole male fencer competing for Canada. He will return to competition on Friday in a rematch against Manko in the men’s epee category A event.

Fencing competition will continue every day until Sept. 6 at the iconic Grand Palais venue in Paris.