Canada’s women’s goalball team wins Parapan Am title to qualify for Paris Paralympics

After the final buzzer sounded, teammates piled on veteran Amy Burk, the joy evident in their celebration.

Burk scored once while Emma Reinke added a hat trick as Canada’s women’s goalball team beat the U.S. 4-3 to win the Parapan Am Games gold medal — and qualify for the Paris Paralympics in the process.

“Oh baby it’s sweet,” Burk told CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux after the game. “This team has worked so hard. The Americans brought it, but we hung on. … There’s not much to say. We left everything out there.”

A tight match throughout, Canada found a way to edge the two-time defending silver medallist Americans after eliminating Brazil, which had won each of the previous two titles, in the semis.

Burk, the 33-year-old from Charlottetown, has competed for Team Canada since 2008, but hasn’t won a major international medal for over a decade.

WATCH | Canada downs U.S. in women’s goalball final:

Featured VideoEmma-Leigh Reinke scored a hat-trick, including two successful penalty conversions, and Canada hung on for a 4-3 victory in the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games women’s goalball gold medal final. The win also gives Canada a berth at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

And so Friday’s victory in Santiago, Chile, was a long time coming for the veteran, who is now set to compete at her fifth consecutive Paralympics.

Athletes in goalball have visual impairments. Teams of three must track a ball thrown by their opponents that has bells inside of it and keep it from going into their net.

That gave way to a tense finish, but Canada held strong to claim the title — despite the American coach’s pleas to officials after the game was already over.

“These are the moments that we want to embrace and these are the games we want to play in,” Burk said. “And to just come out as Parapan Am Games champions and a ticket to Paris, it’s just icing on the cake.”

Pemble, Hayward lead 4-medal haul in cycling

Canadian Para cyclists wrapped up a very successful showing in Chile by taking four medals in the track competition on Friday at the Velódromo Estadio Nacional.

Mel Pemble of Victoria, B.C., captured Canada’s first medal of the day with gold against American Jamie Whitmore in the women’s C1-3 3,000-metre individual pursuit final.

WATCH | Pemble surges late to capture cycling gold on Day 7:

Featured VideoMel Pemble of Victoria, B.C., roars back to win the gold medal in the women’s 3,000-metre C1-3 individual pursuit at the Parapan American Games in Santiago.

For the majority of the race, Whitmore looked to be cruising to an easy victory, increasing her lead to 2.595 seconds at the 2,000m-mark.

Not to be denied, Pemble executed a late push to overtake her opposition with a final time of 4 minutes, 10.103 seconds — just 0.109 ahead of Whitmore.

Alexandre Hayward of Quispamsis, N.B., followed suit when he took down Alejandro Perea Arango in the men’s C1 3,000m individual pursuit final for his third medal — and second gold — at the 2023 Parapan Am Games.

It was a comfortable victory for Hayward, topping his Colombian counterpart by 5.849 seconds with a 3:26.642 time.

The 26-year-old also won bronze in the C1-5 1,000m individual time trial on Thursday, as well as gold in the C1-5 individual time trial in Para cycling road competition earlier in the week.

Calgary’s Michael Sametz — who placed third in the C1-5 individual time trial in the road competition — joined Hayward on the podium again after defeating Colombia’s Esneider Muñoz in the bronze-medal race on Friday.

Keely Shaw won the last of Canada’s 10 total Para cycling medals in Santiago — four in road, six in track — by taking silver in the women’s C4-5 3,000m individual pursuit final against American Samantha Bosco.

The Midale, Sask., native finished 1.253 seconds back of Bosco’s winning time of 3:45.752.

Shaw claims silver in wheelchair tennis

A dramatic wheelchair tennis final resulted in silver for Canada’s Rob Shaw.

Shaw, the defending Parapan Am Games champion, fell in three sets (3-6, 7-5, 4-6) to Chile’s Francisco Cayulef.

The clay-court men’s quad singles match, played in scorching heat, featured plenty of back and forth. At different points, Shaw, a co-flag-bearer at the opening ceremony for Canada, fought off match point in the second set and fended off Cayulef while serving for the match in the final set. 

But the Chilean, with the home crowd behind him, was able to regroup and break Shaw moments later to clinch the victory.

The competitors embraced at the net soon after the thrilling match ended.

WATCH | Shaw bested in gritty 3-set wheelchair tennis final, claims silver:

Featured VideoMen’s singles wheelchair tennis gold medal went to Chile’s Francisco Cayulef 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 after an epic three set battle with Canada’s Rob Shaw who settled for the silver medal at the 2023 Parapan Am Games in Santiago, Chile.

Shaw, the 33-year-old from North Bay, Ont., was the first Canadian to win a multi-sport medal in singles competition when he took gold four years ago.

He’s now repeated the feat, rebounding from a Round of 16 loss at the Tokyo Paralympics to do it.

Men’s wheelchair basketball team topped in semis

Meanwhile, Canada’s men’s wheelchair basketball team will not get its desired rematch against the U.S.

The Canadian squad fell 64-53 to Colombia in the semifinals, dousing hope of a third straight gold-medal final against the Americans. Canada lost each of the previous two in 2015 in Toronto and in 2019 in Lima.

Instead, it will be Colombia, which took bronze in 2019, vying for gold on Saturday.

The South American side took control of the game with a dominant second quarter, outscoring the Canadians 20-7 thanks to 75 per cent shooting in the frame. Canada, meanwhile, made just two of its 15 attempts in the quarter.

WATCH | Highlights from Friday’s early action:

Featured VideoWatch some of the best performances from the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games.

It was more of the same in the third quarter, with the Canadians continuing to connect on open looks as Colombia opened a 16-point lead. 

Canada cut its deficit to seven points late in the fourth quarter to make things interesting, but it proved too little, too late.

The Americans beat Argentina 88-54 in the other semifinal. Canada’s women’s team will battle the U.S. for gold later Friday.

Elsewhere in team sports, Canada’s men’s goalball team won bronze with a 6-2 victory over Argentina.

Blair Nesbitt of Stony Plain, Alta., led Canada with three goals.

Also, Toronto’s Jesse Zesseu claimed his second medal of these Games, landing bronze in the men’s T37/38 long jump.

Zesseu, 24, leapt 5.78 metres to reach the podium. Argentina’s Brian Impellizzeri won gold with a jump of 6.65 metres.

The Canadian previously earned silver in the discus throw.

“It feels really good,” Zesseu told the Canadian Paralympic Committee. “This one, I didn’t really know how I was gonna do. Came out and first jump and got a three-centimetre [personal best]. So we knew it was in the tank, but we didn’t know if we could do it. And we did it.”

Renee Foessel of Orangeville, Ont., added another medal in Para athletics with a bronze of her own in the women’s F38 discus.

Foessel, the 28-year-old world record holder, launched a throw of 35.01 metres to reach the podium.