Canada earned three medals, with two golds courtesy of two of its biggest names at the Paralympic Games on Day 8.
Wheelchair racer Brent Lakatos earned gold in the men’s T53 800 metres on the track on Thursday, while Aurélie Rivard picked up gold in the women’s S10 400-metre freestyle in the pool. Swimmer Tess Routliffe added bronze in the women’s SB7 100-metre breaststroke.
For the 44-year-old Lakatos, it was career medal No. 13 and his first Paralympic gold since the 2016 Games when he won the 100. The Dorval, Que., native won four silvers at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021.
“It’s a really great feeling,” said Lakatos, who is competing in his fifth Paralympics. “This has taken a lot of planning. The Canadian support staff have been great. We had a great strategy, taking control of the race. We executed the plan and it worked out really well.”
Lakatos now has two medals in Paris, having also taken silver in the 400. But it was a tough road.
“My training has been modified due to a broken rib,” he said. “But I was able to get back for here and I’m obviously in great shape. I had a stress fracture. I was in really great shape then something started hurting at the very end of May.
“Luckily I had just enough time to get back, though I missed the whole competition season. That’s why I’ve got no season’s bests.”
He was a four-time silver medalist in Tokyo, where he finished behind Thailand’s Pongsakorn Paeyo in the 100, 400 and 800 metres.
“Oh my gosh, its been eight long years and so many silver medals,” Lakatos said after his race. “It’s so good to finally be back. We’re going to sing O Canada and it’s a really great feeling.
“Tokyo, I had so many silvers. I wasn’t happy with that. Not really,” Lakatos stated. “If I was going to retire, I wanted to try once more for the golds and that’s why I’m back here.”
Paeyo beat Lakatos in Sunday’s 400 metres by just over a quarter of a second.
Lakatos’s tactics in the 800 kept the Thai racer behind him. The Canadian was in control in the final sprint to win by just under a second.
His time of 1 minute 37.32 seconds was off his world record of 1:31.69 set in 2019, but Lakatos was the only man in the final to go under 1:38. Paeyo crossed the line in 1:38.26, and Brian Siemann of the United States in 1:38.44
Lakatos suffered a stress fracture in his rib at the end of May, leaving him racing against time to return to form.
“It was really bad timing,” he said. “I had seven weeks really to get back. I was able to get back to where I was before the injury.”
As was the case at the Olympic Games, the victors at the track ring a bell engraved with the Paris 2024 logo. It will be hung in Notre Dame’s bell tower once the 861-year-old cathedral is restored from the 2019 fire.
“Part of history. That was something really cool,” Lakatos said. “The lady asked if I wanted to ring the bell. I was like ‘hell yeah I do.’” I was in there and put all my weight into that. I was rocking back and forth with the momentum.”
The T53 classification is for athletes that can use their arms, but have little or no trunk movement. Lakatos sustained paralysis from a blood clot in his spine at the age of six when he slid into boards while skating.
Lakatos carried Canada’s flag in Tokyo’s closing ceremonies mere hours after placing fourth in his fifth event, which was the men’s marathon. He’d won the London marathon in 2020.
Lakatos dialled back his workhorse schedule somewhat by leaving the marathon off his Paris program. He admitted racing the 5K on Saturday and the 400 on Sunday “was a bit too much,” and a few days off before the 800 was beneficial.
He’s married to Britain’s Stefanie Reid, who won Paralympic long-jump silver in London in 2012. The couple live in Loughborough, England.
Reid is a CBC co-host for the Paralympic Games with Scott Russell, and her husband said he couldn’t wait to hear what she said about his race.
Whether the 800 was his Paralympic swan song, Lakatos wasn’t ready to say given his track record.
“I said after every Games since 2008 I was going to retire. It hasn’t happened yet,” he said. “I don’t think I’m going to say anything right now.”
In women’s sitting volleyball, Canada will play Brazil for bronze on Saturday. The Canadians fell 3-0 to China on Thursday in the semi-finals.
Canada’s men’s wheelchair basketball squad will play Germany for bronze on Saturday.
The Canadians fell 80-43 to the United States in the semi-finals on Thursday. Patrick Anderson paced Canada with 16 points.
It’s the first time Canada will play for a medal since winning gold at the 2012 London Games.
Canada fell 6-1 to Thailand in the bronze-medal game in mixed pairs BC4 boccia action.
In judo action, Priscilla Gagne of Sarnia, Ont., lost her bronze-medal match against Argentina’s Paula Karina Gómez.