Heading into the last day of track and field events at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games, Canada’s squad is getting quite used to podium performances.
With two bronze medals today, Canada’s para athletes have banked nine medals in four days (1 gold, 3 silver, 5 bronze).
Jesse Zesseu got the ball rolling for Team Canada on Friday, jumping to his second medal of the 2023 Parapan American Games by leaping 5.78 metres to a new national record and a bronze medal in the men's F37 long jump final.
“It feels really good. This one, I didn’t really know how I was going to do. I came out and in my first jump, got a 3 cm personal best. We knew it was in the tank, but we didn’t know we could do it,” Zesseu said. “It was a good build up for next year. We have two major championships – Worlds and Paralympics in the same year. I’m really excited to do both and hopefully get a medal at Worlds and the Paralympics, in both events.”
Renee Foessel claimed a bronze medal of her own in the women’s F38 discus with a best throw of 35.01 metres.
“I came in here and I was very excited to be against some North American competitors. The field here is so strong and they came out today,” Foessel said. “Every time you get the chance to represent Canada, it’s a privilege. This competition – even though it didn’t go the way I wanted – the whole experience makes my heart so full.”
Laura Calovini threw 18.75 metres in the event, good for 8th place.
Isaiah Christophe raced to a big 4th place finish in the men’s T54 100 metre final, clocking in with a time of 14.78 seconds. He qualified for the final with a season-best time of 14.69 seconds to finish 2nd in his semi-final earlier in the afternoon.
“It was a little slower than I would have liked, but I’m pretty happy with it,” Christophe said. “Any time you get a chance to represent your country, it’s a real blessing.”
Stream the Action
Throughout the entire competition, CBC Gem and CBC Sports digital platforms will be offering streaming feeds of the events at Santiago 2023. Live streaming coverage officially begins Friday, November 17 with a full day of competition starting at 8 a.m. ET (5 a.m. PT) and the opening ceremony at 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT). Both of these links can already be found here.
Follow the Team
Keep up with all the latest results, as they happen with the online schedule and live results from the Santiago 2023 website.
