Stilwell leads a run on silver at the Paralympic Games

LONDON (CP) — Michelle Stilwell was a slip of the hand away from repeating as a double gold medallist at the Paralympic Games.

The wheelchair sprinter from Nanoose Bay, B.C., took silver in the T52 100 metres Wednesday after winning the 200 metres earlier in the Games.

“Unfortunately I don’t get to hear O Canada and sing it as loud as I did the other day,” Stilwell said. “I gave it everything I have and silver is nothing to be disappointed about.”

Hers was one of four silver, but no gold, by Canadian athletes on Wednesday.

Wheelchair racer Brent Lakatos of Dorval, Que., was second in the T53 800 metres for his second silver at the track.

Benoit Huot of Montreal claimed silver in the S10 400metre freestyle to complete his set of gold, silver and bronze so far at the pool. Montreal’s Aurelie Rivard also won silver in the women’s 400 freestyle.

Canada’s cycling team also won its first medal of the Games with Marie-Claude Molnar of Lemoyne, Que., taking bronze in the women’s C4 road race.

Canada improved to 21 medals in total with four gold, 11 silver and six bronze. The team’s objective in London is a top-eight finish in gold medals. With four gold, Canada was tied for 20th and well off the pace of 19 won at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing.

Stilwell was the gold medallist in both the 100 and 200 metres in Beijing. She aimed for repeat performances in London. Her T52 classification is for quadriplegic racers.

Her left hand slipped on her opening stroke of the 100. Belgium’s Marieke Vervoort took advantage of the mistake and held the charging Canadian off for gold in a time of 19.69 seconds.

Stilwell followed in 19.80, which was well off the world record of 18.67 she’d set in Windsor, Ont., in July.

“That wasn’t my best race,” she said. “”Unfortunately just not a great start. I wish we could have a re-do, but we can’t.“

The 38-year-old had beaten the Belgian to win the 200 metres Saturday. Stilwell dominated her competition after Beijing, but Vervoort was an unknown quantity to her.

Stilwell says Vervoort was reclassified from a T54 - which has more arm movement - to a T52 in May.