OTTAWA – Michelle Stilwell from Nanoose Bay, BC won gold today in the women’s wheelchair 200-metres T52 classification race at the Paralympic Games. Stilwell raced across the finish line in a new Paralympic Record time of 36.18 seconds to capture Gold. Tomomi Yamaki of Japan was second in 37.44 and Pia Schmid of Switzerland won bronze in 39.95. Stilwell’s gold is Canada’s third gold medal and fourth overall on the track thus far at the 2008 Paralympics.
Stilwell will now set her sights on the 100-metres final scheduled for Monday September 15th.
Other Canadians in action today:
- Jon Dunkerley and guide runner Sean Young from Ottawa, ON did not advance in the men’s visually impaired 200m T11.
- Ilana Duff of Saskatoon, SK finished in 4th place in Round 1 Heat 1 of the women’s wheelchair 100m T53. She qualified for tomorrow’s final with a time of 17.74 seconds.
- Jean-Paul Compaore of Sherbrooke, QC advanced to the semifinal of the men’s wheelchair 800m T54. Compaore qualified by finishing 3rd in Heat 2 in a time of 1:36.66.
- Josh Cassidy of Oakville, ON did not advance in the men’s wheelchair 800m T54. Cassidy was 4th in Heat 3 crossing the line in 1:40.54. Later in the day Cassidy finished 10th in the men’s 5000m final with a time of 10:26.15.
- Megan Muscat of St. Thomas, ON and Leah Robinson of Mannheim, ON did not qualify for the women’s cerebral palsy 100m T37 final. Muscat finished 8th in Heat 1 with a seasonal best 15.84 while Robinson was 6th in Heat 2 in a seasonal best of 15.35.
- Brent Lakatos of Dorval, QC finished in 5th place in the men’s wheelchair 400m T53 final. Lakatos stopped the clock in a seasonal best 50.40. Gold, silver and bronze respectively went to Suk-Man Hong of Korea, Huzhao Li of China and Richard Colman of Australia.
- Diane Roy of Hatley, QC advances to the women’s wheelchair 400m T54 final. Roy finished 1st in Heat 1 in a seasonal best time of 54.88. In Heat 2 Chantal Petitclerc from Montreal and Jessica Matassa from Windsor, ON both advanced to the final. Petitclerc won the Heat in a seasonal best 52.50 with Matassa 3rd in a personal best time of 55.22.
- Dean Bergeron of St-Augustin-de-Desmautes, QC and André Beaudoin of Montreal both advanced to the men’s wheelchair 400m T52 final. Bergeron and Beaudoin finished 1st and 3rd respectively in Heat 1; Bergeron’s time of 59.16 seconds established a new Paralympic Games Record. Beaudoin set a new seasonal best of 1:02.66.
- Women’s Wheelchair 5000m T54
Tonight, for the second time this week, Diane Roy will line up in the 5000-metres final. On Monday she appeared to have won the gold medal having had the honour of watching the Canadian Flag raised in the Birds Nest Stadium while the anthem played. However she had to return her medal after a three country protest was upheld in a race that was marred by a crash that implicated six of the 11 racers, two of whom were taken to hospital by ambulance. The instigator of the crash, Edith Hunkeler of Switzerland, has been disqualified for the re-run of the race.
Canadian Medal Winners as of today:
- Bronze - Stefanie Reid, Windsor, ON, Amputee 200m T44
- Gold – Dean Bergeron, St-Augustin-de-Desmautes, QC, Wheelchair 200m T52
- Gold – Chantal Petitclerc, Montreal, QC, Wheelchair 100m T54
- Gold – Michelle Stilwell, Nanoose Bay, BC, Wheelchair 200m T52
- Competition continues through to September 17th.
For full results, athlete biographies and other information please visit .
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