Canada settles for silver in hard-fought wheelchair rugby remaining towards United States

The US defeated Canada within the gold medal recreation on the Parapan Am Video games in Santiago, Chile on Thursday night time.

Not solely are the Individuals champions of this occasion, in addition they earned a berth to the Paris Paralympics within the course of.

It was a bitter 57-51 defeat for Canada, who hadn’t misplaced a single match going into the title recreation.

The US overpowered Canada in essential moments of the sport, led by three-time Paralympian Chuck Aoki and the one feminine member of the American crew Sarah Adam, who scored a mixed 45 tries.

“It is so thrilling. It has been a troublesome yr for the USA crew. We have had loads of losses however our aim was to win right here and we did it when it counted,” Aoki mentioned after the win.

“I attempt to take pleasure in these moments in my life. There are solely so many occasions you will play for a gold medal. It is a actually candy second.”

Adam has made historical past within the successful effort, turning into the primary girl ever to win a Parapan Am Video games gold medal – it is a combined sport however by no means earlier than has a feminine been a part of a championship crew till now.

“It was a crew win. We got here out with a terrific plan towards Canada and the chemistry with the strains was simply working,” Adam mentioned.

“It means quite a bit that my teammates and coaches place confidence in me. The followers had been electrical. We’ve got actually good matchups. It’s important to play actually clear rugby towards them.”

Aoki had excessive reward for his history-making teammate.

“I am so impressed by Sarah. She’s so dynamic and such a terrific teammate. I like her being part of our crew,” he mentioned.

The gritty Canadian facet should now win a last-chance qualifier to be able to e-book its ticket to Paris in 2024.

“We’re pleased with the very fact we’re right here and received silver. Clearly dissatisfied. However we have now to have a short-term reminiscence about this. We’ve got a qualifying alternative arising in March,” Zak Madell mentioned.

Madell, arguably the very best wheelchair rugby participant on the planet, scored 36 of Canada’s 51 tries.

“We weren’t good. I feel we’ll watch loads of video and have loads of good takeaways from this,” he mentioned.

“We’ve got loads of good proof of what we are able to do as a crew. We all know what we’re able to.”

Fellow Canadian teammate Cody Caldwell echoed Madell’s feedback about what the crew is able to carrying out – however nonetheless felt prefer it was a missed alternative.

“It leaves a nasty style in our mouths, particularly dropping to the Individuals. It simply sucks,” he mentioned.

“We had been virtually good all week. It is not over. Now we regroup and we have now to go to New Zealand in March to qualify. Our job will not be completed but.”

Canada introduced its undefeated file into the title recreation, having defeated the Individuals in preliminary play in addition to the remainder of the sector – they’d an plain swagger and confidence about them because the match started. 

However they might be examined time and time once more by the USA.

That two-goal lead would maintain for a lot of the second interval as each groups tried to seek out house on the crowded courtroom.

A turning level recreation with 4:28 left earlier than halftime, when Madell stripped the ball from the Individuals and took it in for a strive. That made it 20-19 USA, and it regarded as if Canada had began constructing momentum.

However the Individuals are the primary ranked crew on the earth for a motive. They confirmed poise and persistence, countering the Canadian assault at each flip of the wheelchair, inevitably outclassing Canada down the stretch.

The primary two Parapan Am Video games finals (the game joined the Video games in 2015 in Toronto) had been between the Canadians and Individuals.

Canada took the gold on residence soil in 2015 to earn its ticket to Rio 2016. The Individuals acquired revenge in 2019, forcing Canada to win a final probability qualifier to get its ticket to Tokyo 2020.

And now Canada is as soon as once more ready after having to win a last-chance qualifier after this Parapan Am Video games loss to USA.

Canadian ladies advance to goalball remaining

Emma Reinke’s hat trick helped Canada to a 4-2 victory over two-time defending champions Brazil within the ladies’s goalball semifinals Thursday on the Parapan American Video games.

“That is wonderful, an actual second,” mentioned four-time Paralympian Amy Burk of Charlottetown. “Brazil is a very sturdy crew and we knew to beat them we actually had been going to have deliver our A recreation.”

The Individuals beat Argentina 8-1 within the different semifinal.

Within the males’s semifinal, Canada dropped an 11-4 choice to the U.S.

Edmonton’s Blair Nesbitt scored all 4 Canadian targets.

`’We put all the things into the final 4 years to get a special outcome,” mentioned Canadian veteran Doug Ripley of Vancouver. `’It is actually heartbreaking.”

Canada will play Argentina for the bronze medal on Friday. The Individuals will play Brazil for gold and a berth on the Paralympics.

Earlier Thursday, Canadian wheelchair rugby athlete Eric Rodrigues was elected to the Americas Paralympic Committee (APC) Athletes’ Council.

Canadian Paralympic Committee chief govt officer Karen O’Neill mentioned Rodrigues is a powerful chief with a ardour for making Para sport the “finest and most impactful it may be.”

“We all know he will likely be a really efficient ambassador for all Para athletes within the Americas and contribute to advancing Para sport throughout the area,” O’Neill mentioned in an announcement.

“We want him the very best on this new function and sit up for working with him extra as an athlete chief.”

Pemble, Hayward rating biking medals

In the meantime, Victoria’s Mel Pemble captured silver within the ladies’s C1-5 500-metre particular person time trial in monitor biking.

Pemble, 23, switched from Para alpine to biking in 2020 and loved near-immediate success, together with a medal of every color at this yr’s world championships.

Her personal-best time of 37.565 seconds left her beneath a second shy of gold medallist Sabrina Custodia Da Silva of Brazil (36.864) in Santiago.

Alexandre Hayward of Quispamsis, N.B., added bronze within the males’s C1-5 1,000 particular person time trial, stopping the clock in a single minute 6.566 seconds.

It marks the 26-year-old’s second medal of those Video games after he received gold in a highway biking occasion.

WATCH | Motion from Day 6 in Santiago: