Part 3 (No Part 4, I don’t have the time to be doing a rundown of my predictions, actually this preview is also kind of rushed I’m not previewing each athletes competitors)
Time for the final part of my overview, highlighting the two sports that are expected to give us the most medals (by a mile actually, only cycling comes close)
Also, I forgot to mention during Part 1, the Canadian women’s goalball team finished 5th at the Malmo Ladies Cup.
Athletics (using Wikipedia, so this might not be right. hopefully it isn’t because I want to be seeing him in either the 100m or marathon instead of the 1500m)
Brent Lakatos - Men’s 400m T53, Men’s 800m T53, Men’s 1500m T53, Men’s 5000m T53: Beijing 2008/London 2012/Rio 2016/Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, 11x Paralympic medalist including 1 gold and 20x World medalist including 12 golds, Paris 2023 World Champion in the 800m T53 and silver in the 400/1500m T53 (DNC in Kobe, and the 5000m in Paris)
Anthony Bouchard - Men’s 100m T52, Men’s 400m T52:
Cody Fournie - Men’s 100m T51, Men’s 200m T51: Silver in the 100m T51 at the Kobe 2024 World Championships and 4th in the 200m T51
Zachary Gingras - Men’s 400m T38: Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Bronze in 400m T38, Paris 2023 World Silver in 400m T38
Nate Reich - Men’s 1500m T38: Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Gold in 1500m T38, Paris 2023 World Gold in 1500m T38
Guillaume Ouellet - Men’s 5000m T13: Rio 2016/Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, Paris 2023 World Bronze in 5000m T13
Austin Smeenk - Men’s 100m T34, Men’s 800m T34: Rio 2016/Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, 2023 Paris World Silver in 100m T34
Bianca Borgella - Women’s 100m T13: 2023 Paris World Bronze in 100m T13
Keegan Gaunt - Women’s 400m T13, Women’s 1500m T13:
Sheriauna Haase - Women’s 100m T47, Women’s 200m T47: 4th in the 100m T47 at the Kobe 2024 World Championships
Marissa Papaconstantinou - Women’s 100m T64, Women’s 200m T64: Rio 2016/Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Bronze Medalist in 100m T64, Paris 2023 Worlds Bronze Medalist in 100/200m T64
Amanda Rummery - Women’s 400m T47: 4th at the Paris 2023 World Championships however she holds a PB of 57.99 from this year which would have won her silver
Greg Stewart - Men’s Shot Put F46: Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, Gold at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, Bronze at the Kobe 2024 World Championships
Noah Vucsics - Men’s Long Jump T20: Silver at the Paris 2023 World Championships in long jump T20
Jesse Zesseu - Men’s Discus Throw F37: 4th at the Kobe 2024 World Championships in Discus Throw F37
Charlotte Bolton - Women’s Discus Throw F41, Women’s Shot Put F41: Tokyo 2020 Paralympian
Renee Foessel - Women’s Discus Throw F38: Rio 2016/Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, Silver at the Paris 2023 Worlds in Discus Throw F38
Julia Hanes - Women’s Shot Put F33, Women’s Javelin Throw F34:
Katie Pegg - Women’s Shot Put F46:
Ashlyn Renneberg - Women’s Javelin Throw F13:
Lakatos, Lakatos, Lakatos. The star of the Canadian athletics team having won 11 Paralympic medals and 18 World Championships medals in his illustrious career. But for some reason, he always seems to come up just shy of Paralympic glory besides his single gold medal in the 100m at Rio 2016. After finishing off Tokyo 2020 on a disappointing note (his words not mine) he’ll be looking to redeem himself this year, and as always is a top contender in all of his events. As in Tokyo and at the Paris 2023 World Championships, he’ll be in fierce battles with Paeyo in the 400m and 800m, in the 800m he’s coming as the reigning World Champion. Guaranteed silver for both most likely, barring disaster. In the 1500m and 5000m Hug is untouchable, silver is a good bet for him in the 5000m but there’s three Thai athletes who will probably challenge him in the 1500m.
Reigning Paralympic champion Greg Stewart picked up right back where he left off after retiring post Tokyo, winning bronze at the Kobe 2024 World Championships earlier this year. Another reigning Paralympic champion, Nate Reich will also be in the mix for the podium. Fournie (men’s 100m T51), Gingras (men’s 400m T38), Ouellet (men’s 5000m T13), Smeenk (men’s 100m T34), Vucsics (men’s long jump T20), and Zesseu (men’s discus throw F37) are the other male medal contenders.
For the women, Borgella (women’s 100m T13), Papaconstantinou (women’s 100/200m T64, and Rummery (women’s 400m T47) on the track, and Foessel (women’s discus throw F38) on the field.
Swimming
Aurelie Rivard - Women’s 50m Freestyle S10, Women’s 100m Freestyle S10, Women’s 400m Freestyle S10, Women’s 100m Backstroke S10: London 2012/Rio 2016/Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, 10x Paralympic medalist including 5 golds, 14x World medalist including 6 golds, Gold at the 2022 Madeira/2023 Manchester World Championships in the 50m/100m freestyle S10
Shelby Newkirk - Women’s 50m Freestyle S6, Women’s 100m Freestyle S7, Women’s 100m Backstroke S6: Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, 2x Reigning World Champion at the Madeira 2022/Manchester 2023 World Championships in the 100m backstroke S6, Bronze at the Manchester 2023 World Championships in the 50m freestyle S6
Tess Routliffe - Women’s 100m Freestyle S7, Women’s 100m Breaststroke SB7, Women’s 50m Butterfly S7, Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM7: Rio 2016/Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, Rio 2016 silver medalist in the 200m individual medley SM7, 2x reigning World Champion in the 100m breaststroke SB7, Gold/Silver at the 2023/2022 Manchester/Madeira World Championships in the 200m individual medley S7, Silver in the 50m butterfly and bronze in the 100m freestyle at the Manchester 2023 World Championships
Danielle Dorris - Women’s 50m Butterfly S7, Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM7: Rio 2016/Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, Reigning Paralympic champion in the 50m butterfly S7, 2x reigning World Champion in the 50m butterfly S7, and bronze in the 200m individual medley SM7 at the Manchester 2023 World Championships
Katie Cosgriffe - Women’s 50m Freestyle S10, Women’s 100m Backstroke S10, Women’s 100m Butterfly S10, Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM10:
Aly Van Wyck-Smart - Women’s 50m Freestyle S3, Women’s 100m Freestyle S3: Tokyo 2020 Paralympian
Emma Van Dyk - Women’s 100m Backstroke S14:
Abi Tripp - Women’s 400m Freestyle S8, Women’s 100m Breaststroke SB7: London 2012/Tokyo 2020 Paralympian
Katarina Roxon - Women’s 100m Backstroke S8, Women’s 100m Individual Medley SM9: London 2012/Rio 2016/Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, Bronze at the Madeira 2022/Manchester 2023 World Championships in the women’s 100m backstroke S8
Clemence Pare - Women’s 200m Freestyle S5, Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM5:
Hannah Ouellette - Women’s 200m Freestyle S5, Women’s 50m Butterfly S5, Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM5:
Mary Jibb - Women’s 100m Freestyle S9, Women’s 100m Backstroke S9, Women’s 100m Butterfly S9, Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM9:
Arianna Hunsicker - Women’s 50m Freestyle S10, Women’s 100m Freestyle S10, Women’s 100m Backstroke S10:
Nikita Ens - Women’s 100m Freestyle S3, Women’s 50m Backstroke S3: Tokyo 2020 Paralympian
Sabrina Duchesne - Women’s 100m Freestyle S7, Women’s 400m Freestyle S7: Rio 2016/Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, Bronze at the Manchester 2023 World Championships in Women’s 400m Freestyle S7
Nicholas Bennett - Men’s 200m Freestyle S14, Men’s 200m Individual Medley SM14, Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB14, Men’s 100m Backstroke S14: Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, Silver in the 200m freestyle S14 and 200m individual medley SM14 at the Madeira 2022 World Championships and gold at the Manchester 2023 World Championships, Silver in the 100m breaststroke SB14 at the Manchester 2023 World Championships
Alec Elliot - Men’s 100m Freestyle S10, Men’s 100m Backstroke S10, Men’s 100m Butterfly S10, Men’s 200m Individual Medley SM10: Rio 2016/Tokyo 2020 Paralympian,
Fernando Lu - Men’s 50m Freestyle S10, Men’s 100m Freestyle S10, Men’s 100m Breaststroke S10, Men’s 100m Butterfly S10, Men’s 200m Individual Medley SM10:
Sebastian Massabie - Men’s 50m Freestyle S4, Men’s 100m Freestyle S4, Men’s 200m Freestyle S4:
Reid Maxwell - Men’s 100m Freestyle S8, Men’s 400m Freestyle S8, Men’s 100m Butterfly S8, Men’s 100m Backstroke S8, Men’s 200m Individual Medley SM8:
Nicolas Guy Turbide - Men’s 50m Freestyle S13: Rio 2016/Tokyo 2020 Paralympian, Bronze at the Manchester 2023 World Championships in 50m Freestyle S13
Philippe Vachon - Men’s 400m Freestyle S8:
Interestingly enough, Dorris won’t swim in the 200m individual medley SM7 after having won gold at Worlds last year. Maybe a scheduling issue?
Rivard is the headliner yet again, what a legend of Canadian para sport. She’ll be the gold medal favourite in the 50m/100m freestyle, and among the favourites in the 400m freestyle (more on that later) and will look to add to her 10 Paralympic medals and 6 golds she’s already won. Her form is a bit of an unknown, as she appears to have suffered a knee injury sometime this year, but she looks primed to improve on that number. Now back to the 400m freestyle, even as the 2x reigning Paralympic champion this event has been a bit of a nightmare for her these past few years. During Madeira 2022, she was in the gold medal position and leading at the 250m mark, but Papp was hanging right with her. Then she stopped. Then, a year later at Birmingham 2023, she qualified for the final before pulling out as there were still some demons inside of her head saying “what if it happens again?”. In Paris, Papp will be present having won the last 2 World Championships, with her and Rivard as the heavy favourites. Guaranteed silver is at the very least if she doesn’t mentally break down before or during the middle of the race, but of course I’m hoping for gold. For the women, another one to watch out for is the reigning Paralympic champion in women’s 50m butterfly S7 Danielle Dorris. She’s the 2x reigning World Champion, having won in Madeira 2022 and Birmingham 2023 and is also the WR holder. She’s also a good bet for a medal in the women’s 100m backstroke S7, having won gold at Birmingham 2023, and silver at Tokyo 2020 and Madeira 2022, though do watch out for Gaffney and Weggemann. Fun fact, I vividly remember watching her gold medal and WR performance at Tokyo 2020, it got me quite excited. Shelby Newkirk (women’s 100m backstroke S6, 50m freestyle S6), Tess Routliffe (women’s 100m breaststroke SB7, 200m individual medley SM7, 50m butterfly S7, 100m freestyle S7), and flagbearer Katarina Roxon (women’s 100m breastroke SB8) are other names to keep an eye out for.
On the men’s side we have no shortage of talent as well. Nicholas Bennett (men’s 100m breaststroke SB14, 200m individual medley SM14, 200m freestyle S14) is the guy to watch, having won two golds (freestyle and IM) and a silver at last years Worlds in Birmingham. Turbide (men’s 50m freestyle S13, he’s not bad at it he did win bronze in Birmingham last year but for some reason he’s not competing in his specialty 100m backstroke) and Elliot (men’s 400m freestyle S10/100m backstroke S10) are the other potential Paralympic medalists.