On a day when Cody Fournie won gold in his 100m sprint, four other Canadians had experiences ranging from disappointing to painful.
Marissa Papaconstantinou (Toronto) narrowly missed out on the podium in the women’s (T64) 200 metre, finishing fourth with a time of 27.30.
She was 0.53 seconds short of bronze medal winner Irmgard Bensusan. Marlene Van Gansewinkel, and Kimberly Alkemade, both of the Netherlands, won silver and gold, respectively.
The Canadian, whose best event will be the 100m later this week, came off the curve in third place but was unable to keep her pace and was passed by Bensusan down the stretch.
BIANCA BORGELLA
Meanwhile, Bianca Borgella (Ottawa, Ont.) had a good start in the T13 100 metres, and was sitting fourth about 30 metres in when she suddenly reached for her left hamstring and collapsed to the track.
The 21-year-old got up and managed to finish the race, ultimately leaving in a wheelchair with the medical team.
Gold medalist Lamiya Valiyeva, of Azerbaijan, set a new world record of 11.76, Rayane Soares da Silva, of Brazil, took home the silver, and Orla Comerford, of Ireland, won bronze.
Borgella finished second in her heat earlier Tuesday morning and was fourth among finalists in season best times, putting her on the periphery of medal competition.
The 21-year-old first showed her podium potential when she won bronze in the event at the 2023 world Para Athletics championship.
One month prior to the Games, Borgella underwent an MRI and was diagnosed with a hamstring strain after experiencing pain while racing. She received extra treatment in the lead up to Paris at Athletics Canada’s Toronto hub.
SHERIAUNA HAASE
Sheriauna Haase (Toronto) fell short of the podium, after finishing fourth in the women’s T47 100m final. The 17-year-old sprinter clocked at 12.53 in her Paralympic final debut.
Haase finished second in the qualifying heat Wednesday morning, with a season-best 12.47, and had the fifth best time overall.
The young Canadian has made significant strides since her international debut at the World Para Athletics in 2023, where she finished fifth in the 100 and set a Canadian record time of 12.42.
She will compete in the T47 200m event Saturday at 6:40 a.m. Eastern.
ZACHARY GINGRAS
Zachary Gingras (Markham, ON) set a season-best time of 50.63 to place fifth in the men’s T38 400m final.
The University of Victoria alum holds the Canadian-record time at the event – set at 50.23 seconds – when took home a silver medal at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championship in Paris.
Gold medallist Jaydin Blackwell, of USA, clocked a world-record time of 48.49, silver medallist and fellow American Ryan Medrano at 49.74, and bronze medallist Juan Alejandro Campas Sanchez of Colombia at 49.92.
