Madell, Hirschfield lead Canada's wheelchair rugby team to thrilling OT victory

jeudi 15 septembre 2016

Zak Madell and Trevor Hirschfield combined to help Canada clinch its second wheelchair rugby victory at the Paralympics with less than a second remaining in overtime to defeat Great Britain 50-49 on Thursday in Rio. 

With the clock winding down, the Edmonton native passed off to Hirschfield, who crossed the line to seal the win with 0.7 seconds remaining on the clock. 

Madell, 22, who led the team with a 30-point effort as Canada remained atop Pool A, forced extra time with a huge tackle on Ayaz Bhuta to preserve the tie at the end of regulation.

On Wednesday, Canada easily defeated host nation Brazil 62-48, but will have another tough challenge when preliminary play ends Friday against defending Paralympic champion Australia. 

​Canadians make waves in canoe debut

A pair of Canadians reached the finals as para-canoe made its highly anticipated debut in Rio.

Veteran paddler Christine Gauthier was the first of two Canadians to compete, coming in fourth in the women's KL2 final. The 46-year-old from Montreal has seen the sport evolve steadily since she won her first of five world championships in 2009. She was the class of the sport for half a decade, winning consecutive world titles through to 2013.

Now heading towards the tail end of her career, Gauthier hopes the exposure generated from these Games will help get more Canadians with a disability into paddling competitions.

"For myself, I discovered other sports through the Paralympics we had in Vancouver [2010], like sledge hockey and other disciplines," Gauthier said. "So I'm hoping at least for this portion, it will bring more people out, especially in Canada, to come out and paddle."

Her teammate Erica Scarff, from Mississauga, Ont., was seventh in just her fourth international competition in the KL1 race. 

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Madell, Hirschfield lead Canada's wheelchair rugby team to thrilling OT victory

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