Paralympics: Swimmer Aurelie Rivard adds to Canada’s medal tally at Rio Games

RIO DE JANERIO, BRAZIL— Canadian swimmer Aurelie Rivard added to her Paralympic medal collection on Sunday, capturing silver in the women’s 200-metre individual medley.

The 20-year-old from Saint-Jeansur-Richelieu, Que., had claimed Canada’s first gold medal of the Games two nights earlier, winning the 50 freestyle in a world record time.

Rivard, who was born with an underdeveloped left hand, touched the wall in two minutes, 30.03 seconds on Sunday night, to finish behind New Zealand’s Sophie Pascal. Pascal won in a world record 2:24.90.

Paralympic veteran Benoit Huot narrowly missed adding a second swim medal on the night, finishing fourth in the 200 IM.

Huot won the gold medal in the event four years ago in London in a world-record time.

At the track, Canadian wheelchair racer Brent Lakatos captured a silver medal in the 400 metres for his second medal of the Rio Paralympics.

Liam Stanley added a second medal on the morning for the Canadian track team, racing to silver in the 1,500 metres.

If Stanley was feeling any first-time nerves, he definitely didn’t show it.

“And most if not all of the other athletes had raced at that level before, either at the Paralympic Games or the world championships. And Liam hadn’t,” coach Bruce Deacon said. “I was very impressed with how composed he was.”

Stanley has twice been named the Canadian para-soccer player of the year, joining the national team when he was just 14. He played on Canada’s seven-a-side squad at the Parapan Ams last summer in Toronto.

In rowing, Canada won bronze in the LTA mixed coxed four. Britain won gold in 3:17.17, the U.S. was second in 3:19.61 and the Canadians with Victoria Nolan, Meghan Montgomery, Andrew Todd, Curtis Halladay and coxswain Kristen Kit followed in 3:19.90.

“We came back on the U.S. in a big way,” said Montgomery, 34, who has a disability in her right hand.

“We got from the stern to just being a bow ball away from silver. It was a good race.”

Montgomery is a three-time Paralympian who retired after the London Games but made a comeback in 2015.

“This year was about fighting to get back into the boat,” she said. “That was a big part of us doing so well today. We had a competitive environment in the boat.”

In women’s wheelchair basketball, the Canadian women lost their first game after opening with two victories. They fell to Germany 68-54 despite a 23-point effort by Cindy Ouellet.

Canada has 12 medals — three gold, seven silver and two bronze — so far in Rio.