Five of the best Canadian performances from the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

When the curtains fell on the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games during a festive closing ceremony on Sunday, 8 September, they flew wide open on celebrations back in Canada as the Canadian Paralympic Team returned home from the Games.

With a total of 29 medals, ten gold, won by 31 athletes, there were plenty of reasons to celebrate for the Canadian Paralympic Team. From historic firsts to dominant victories, Canadian athletes left an indelible mark on the City of Lights, creating memories that live on well past the conclusion of the Games.

Olympics.com explores five of the most memorable achievements by Canadian athletes at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Sitting Volleyball: Heidi Peters leads Canada to historic bronze medal

Canada had never won a medal in sitting volleyball at the Paralympic Games. They came close at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, but fell short against Brazil in the bronze medal match. As fate would have it, Canada and Brazil would meet again in the bronze medal match at Paris 2024. This time, however, Canada had an ace up their sleeve. Enter Heidi Peters.

Peters was unstoppable at Paris 2024, serving up nearly unplayable hits at the North Paris Arena during the women’s sitting volleyball competition. She tallied 24 aces across five matches at Paris 2024 - the most of any player in the women’s tournament.

Her knack for tricky serves came in clutch during Canada’s bronze medal match against Brazil. She posted nine aces and nine attacks for a total of 18 points in the match. It was a dominant display that helped Canada beat Brazil 3-0 in straight sets to claim the bronze medal.

“We just had a really strong game plan and really fought hard,” Peters told World Para Volley. “I’m not gonna say it was easy but we were really prepared for every scenario. We were prepared for five sets, we were prepared to be successful, we were prepared for everything. I’m really proud of this team for sticking to the game plan and being ready.”

Peters and her teammates were certainly rewarded for their efforts at Paris 2024, earning a shiny new bronze medal to memorialise their historic achievement for Canadian sport.

Para athletics: Cody Fournie races to double gold at Stade de France

It wasn’t just the women’s sitting volleyball team that had spectators and commentators shouting “Oh, Canada!” There was plenty of excitement at Stade de France, where Canadian athletes earned a total of nine medals, including five gold medals, in Para athletics.

Cody Fournie led the charge, completing a sprint double on the track in the men’s T51 classification. The former wheelchair rugby player turned track athlete had a major breakthrough on 3 September, claiming victory in the men’s 200m T51 after finishing fourth and sixth at his previous world championship appearances in 2023 and 2024.

He doubled his medal collection by winning the men’s 100m T51 three days later.

"It means the world to me," Fournie told the Canadian Press.

His exceptional performances on the track were complimented by the thrilling victories of Brent Lakatos in the men’s 800m T53 and Austin Smeenk in the men’s 800m T34.

On the field, Greg Stewart claimed a gold medal of his own after throwing a season’s best mark of 16.38m to earn the gold medal in men’s shot put F46.

The success of all four athletes contributed to the best performance by Canadian athletes in Para athletics since the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Para canoe: Brianna Hennessy paddles to historic silver medal at Paris 2024

While Brianna Hennessy fell short on her ultimate goal of summiting the podium at Paris 2024, she achieved an important milestone for the Canadian Para canoe team when she claimed a silver medal in the women’s va’a single 200m VL2 final on 7 September.

It was the first time a Canadian paddler had won a medal of any colour at the Paralympic Games - a feat that wasn’t lost on the 39-year-old from Ottawa.

"It has a good ring to it," Hennessy told CBC Sports. "I'm so happy. I feel like we've had to overcome so much to get here, especially in the last year and a half. I'm just so proud."

She raced in memory of her mother who passed away a year before the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, and a family pet that died soon after the death of her mother. The pair was memorialised on Hennessy’s paddle at Paris 2024 - a tribute that will live on in photographs and videos for years to come.

Para track cycling: Alexandre Hayward impresses during his Paralympic debut

Alexandre Hayward certainly made the most of his Paralympic debut, snagging the bronze medal in the men’s C3 3000m individual pursuit at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Vélodrome.

He averaged 52.718kph during the nearly three-and-a-half minute effort, riding almost a full kilometre per hour faster than his opponent, Spain’s Eduardo Santas Asensio. It was a sensational ride that proved his early success in the sport at the 2023 Parapan American Games wasn’t to be taken lightly.

The 27-year-old only began cycling during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to supplement his training for wheelchair basketball. He decided to switch sports soon after, and the rest is history.

With the focus soon shifting to the LA28 Paralympic Games, Hayward will be eager to improve on an already impressive debut at Paris 2024.

Para swimming: Aurelie Rivard wins sixth gold medal at the Paralympic Games

Of course, no highlight reel of Canadian athletes at Paris 2024 would be complete without the exploits of Aurelie Rivard.

The 28-year-old made waves once more during her fourth appearance at the Paralympic Games, earning her own set of gold, silver and bronze medals in the S10 classification.

She placed third in the women’s 50m freestyle and second in the women’s 100m freestyle, but the highlight of her performances in the City of Lights came during the final of the women’s 400m freestyle, where she claimed an emphatic gold medal after a fiercely contested race against Team USA’s Ali Truwit.

Rivard entered the race as perhaps the biggest favourite to win. However, she faced a fierce challenge from Team USA’s Truwit, who took up Para swimming after surviving a shark attack.

While it seemed like Truwit might get the best of Rivard, the experienced Canadian powered past her near the 300m mark in a definitive move that saw her claim victory in front of thousands of fans at Paris La Defense Arena.

It was the exclamation point to an exceptional Paralympic Games for Rivard, and a memorable Paralympic Games for the 126-strong Canadian Paralympic Team.