Swimmer Bennett, canoeist Hennessy to carry Canadian flag at Paralympic closing ceremony
CBC
Paralympic medallists Nicholas Bennett and Brianna Hennessy will carry the Canadian flag during Sunday's closing ceremony in Paris.
Bennett, a swimmer, won Canada's first gold medal in Paris — one of three total medals he's headed home with, also including another gold and a silver.
The 20-year-old from Parksville, B.C., who has an intellectual impairment, became the first Canadian male swimmer to win multiple golds at one Games since 2004.
Hennessy, a Para canoeist, took silver in her first race on Saturday and can reach the podium again in her final event on Sunday.
The 39-year-old from Ottawa only took up her sport during the pandemic. After failing to reach the podium at Tokyo 2020, she'll return home from Paris with her first Paralympic hardware.
"What a remarkable honour to be chosen to lead so many phenomenal heroes across our nation that have powered through so much adversity," she said.
"Together, we are a symbol of an incredible celebration of our abilities in motion. We are one heartbeat, that I would describe as a magnificent phoenix rising up from the ashes, whose courage soars past all obstacles in its path – its feathers shimmering with bright Canada red and white feathers in its wings.
Canada's 126-athlete team is trending towards one of its best medal hauls in recent Paralympic Games.
Swimmer Katarina Roxon and wheelchair basketball player Patrick Anderson carried the red Maple Leaf into the opening ceremonies.
Wheelchair racer Brent Lakatos of Dorval, Que., was Canada's flag-bearer for Tokyo's closing ceremonies three years ago. He won a gold medal in the 800 metres in Paris.
CBC's live coverage of the closing ceremony from the Stade de France, starting at 1:50 p.m. ET (10:50 a.m. PT), will be hosted by Scott Russell.
Watch live on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC News Network, CBC's Paris 2024 website and the CBC Paris 2024 app for iOS and Android devices. CBC will be offering an ASL feed on CBC Gem and the Paris 2024 website.
An encore broadcast will air at 7 ET (4 p.m. PT) on CBC TV, or you can stream it on Gem for up to 24 hours.
Canadian Paralympic Committee CEO Karen O'Neill acknowledges the team’s showing at the Milano-Cortina Winter Games wasn't the same as past years.
Canadian Para alpine skier Kalle Eriksson and guide Sierra Smith capped their memorable Paralympic debut with bronze in the men's visually impaired slalom on Sunday at the Milano-Cortina Games.
Canadian skip Kerri Einarson looked up Saturday and saw real people, instead of cardboard cut-outs, in the stands at Calgary's WinSport Event Centre. She heard the roar of the crowd instead of the sound of flushing toilets piercing the silence.
Aaron Judge doubled and Pete Crow-Armstrong and Brice Turang each had two hits as the United States beat Canada 5-3 on Friday night in Houston to reach the World Baseball Classic semifinals.
Canada's Natalie Wilkie captured her second biathlon gold of the Milano-Cortina Paralympics on Friday, winning the women's standing sprint pursuit for her fourth medal in as many events.
Canada made wheelchair curling history on Thursday as the first team at any Paralympics to complete round-robin play without a loss.
The winningest men's ski cross racer in history added to his total on Thursday.
Canada's Mark Arendz collected his 14th career Paralympic medal while teammate Brittany Hudak earned her fourth in Wednesday's standing cross-country skiing races at Milano Cortina.
Alphonso Davies covered his face with his shirt as he left the field with an injury in Bayern Munich's game against Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday in Bergamo, Italy, raising questions about the Canadian star's availability for the World Cup.
Canadian Para nordic skiing star Natalie Wilkie has now won a medal of every colour at the Milano-Cortina Paralympics, adding bronze in the women's standing sprint classic on Tuesday in Val di Fiemme.
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Canadian Para alpine skier Kalle Eriksson and guide Sierra Smith continued their impressive Paralympic debut on Monday by racing to bronze in the men's visually impaired super-G for their second medal.