Travis Murao calls it “crunch time” and his favorite time of the yr.
The wheelchair rugby participant and a number of other of his Canadian teammates are feeling the thrill, stress and different feelings with the beginning of the Paris Paralympics in 100 days on Aug. 28.
“I am feeling excited. It is nervous vitality,” the 41-year-old Toronto athlete mentioned forward of his fourth Summer time Video games. “I am trying ahead to the grind up till the ultimate competitors [before the Games].”
Murao and his rugby teammates, who’re eyeing their first Paralympic medal since capturing 2012 silver in London, secured a spot for Paris in March with a semifinal win over Germany at a event in Trentham, New Zealand.
Iulian Ciobanu can also be excited concerning the expertise he’ll acquire enjoying in his third Paralympic boccia tourney. Additionally 41, he positioned sixth on the 2016 Paralympics in Rio and did not advance to the playoff spherical three years in the past in Tokyo.
WATCH | IPC president needs all tickets for Paris offered earlier than opening ceremony:
IPC President Andrew Parsons joins CBC Sports activities’ Scott Russell forward of the 2024 Paralympics to speak about how this Paralympics in Paris shall be completely different than every other with 100 days to go.
The Montreal father of two daughters tells CBC Sports activities he is not pressured about competing.
“It is a constructive stress that provides [me] extra want [to compete and] not one thing [that makes you want] to give up,” he mentioned.
“[There’s no] stress as a result of I am doing what I love to do.”
For Tess Routliffe, Paris will symbolize her first Paralympics since Rio, the place the Para swimmer from Caledon, Ont., introduced residence her first Paralympic medal, a silver within the 200-metre particular person medley.
“I’ve waited a very long time to be again on the Paralympic Video games,” mentioned Routliffe, who missed the Tokyo occasion with a again damage. “I am so able to be there [in Paris] with all of the athletes, race once more and compete.”
Final week in Toronto, Routliffe shaved almost one second off her Canadian SB7 file within the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1 minute 30.47 seconds on the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic trials.
WATCH | Dialog with Canadian cooks de mission:
CBC Sports activities’ Devin Heroux chats with Canada’s co-chefs de mission, Karolina Wisniewska and Josh Vander Vies, about main the workforce to the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
About 4,400 athletes from 184 nations will compete throughout 22 sports activities in Paris.
The Canadian contingent will try to enhance its efficiency after leaving Tokyo with 5 gold medals and 21 podium finishes general, the workforce’s fewest at a Paralympics since 1972 in Heidelberg, West Germany.
Final fall, Canada’s 135-member workforce collected 52 medals on the Parapan Am Video games in Santiago, Chile.
Beneath the Paralympic Efficiency Recognition program introduced this previous January, Canadian Paralympians who medal in Paris shall be financially rewarded, with occasion winners receiving $20,000, silver medallists $15,000 and $10,000 for these incomes bronze.
This is the same as the quantity Canadian Olympians obtain, a choice lauded by Worldwide Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons.
“It reveals equality and we welcome initiatives like that,” he mentioned just lately in an interview with CBC Sports activities’ Scott Russell. “If a Canadian [able-bodied] athlete or Para athlete win medals, it is the identical flag, similar nationwide anthem, so why not reward them in the identical means?”
Whereas now receiving equal pay to their Olympic counterparts, the struggle towards stereotype continues for Paralympians, who’re seen by some as inspirational as a result of they take part within the Video games.
WATCH | Paris Pulse, our weekly Canadian Olympic and Paralympic information replace:
In our weekly Canadian Olympic and Paralympic information replace, we replace current outcomes on the Inventive Swimming World Cup in Paris and the Boccia World Cup in Montreal.
“You could acknowledge what athletes obtain within the area of play, how inspirational their performances are,” Parsons mentioned. “We wish athletes inspiring information athletes. We need to present the world that individuals with a incapacity will be like every other.”
One false impression raised concerning the Paralympics is it is not as critical because the Olympics. Not true, in keeping with 40-year-old Canadian wheelchair rugby participant Patrice Dagenais, who recommended many Canadians may not be as educated about Paralympic sports activities.
“We practice laborious, we’re actual athletes,” mentioned the native of Embrun, Ont., about 45 kilometres southeast of Ottawa. “We do what it takes to be the most effective athletes we will be, compete on the worldwide stage and attempt to win medals for our nation.”
WATCH | Routliffe units Canadian file at Paralympic trials:
Tess Routliffe of Caledon, Ont., set a Canadian file within the 100-metre breaststroke SB7 last with a time of 1:30.47 on the 2024 Olympic & Paralympic Trials.
Inclusion and variety is paramount to the Paralympic motion when contemplating the make-up of athletes who will compete in Paris. Being common, or involving everybody, will stay an IPC focus, famous Parsons, whereas pointing on the market shall be athletes from extra nations than ever attending the Video games this summer time.
“We consider there’s area for everybody. When the athletes return to their nation, the impression they’ve in Paralympic sport is unimaginable, even when it is one athlete qualifying for the Video games or one athlete successful a medal or making an [event] last,” mentioned Parsons, including the Olympics and Paralympics can change attitudes or be beacons of hope.
“Everytime you expertise a Paralympic or Olympic Village and also you see all these athletes of various nationalities consuming and dwelling below the identical roof not combating and competing on the highest attainable stage, it is a good metaphor to the remainder of the world.”
Parsons pressured there shall be extra athletes competing in Paris from particular areas nonetheless underrepresented on the Video games. And whereas the IPC has but to attain gender parity on the Paralympics, he identified it has improved for the reason that 2008 Video games in Beijing and the goal is a gender-balanced 2032 competitors in Brisbane, Australia.
