Paralympians aim for top-three finish
Equalling 2010 result possible, says chef de mission
VANCOUVER — The emotions of Canadian hockey fans during the Sochi Olympics spun more wildly than a driveway full of white stuff through a bought-at-Rona snowblower.
There was that crazy roller-coaster ride during the women’s gold medal final, which Canada pulled out in overtime after two late goals in the third period stunningly erased a 2-0 U.S. lead.
And there was considerable angst in watching the shaky run of the men’s team through the preliminary round and the quarter-final squeaker over Latvia before the re-affirming, ‘it’s our heritage’ wins over the U.S. in the semi and Sweden in the gold medal final.
There may not be the same heightened interest from Victoria to Gander, Nfld., for Canada’s sledge hockey team.
But the paraplegics, leg amputees and others on that squad hope Canadians can still summon some maple leaf fervour as they go for gold at the Sochi Paralympics.
Competition begins a week today with the Games wrapping up on March 16.
With three para-alpine skiers who were responsible for 12 of Canada’s 19 medals at Vancouver in 2010 now retired, the spotlight will shine heavily on the men in the sleds, who were a hugely disappointing fourth in 2010, and the Jim Armstrongskipped wheelchair curling team which is looking to defend the gold medal.
“We’ve got a very good team, a very good coaching staff and support staff,” says defenceman Adam Dixon, who was a Paralympic rookie in 2010.
“It’s going to be a little bit different pressure, but after struggling (at Vancouver) and at a couple of worlds we should have won, we’ve learned from that.
“Sometimes, you do have to lose to learn how to win and we’ve gone through that.”
Canada was third in Vancouver in gold medals with 10 behind Germany with 13 and Russia with 12 and tied for third in overall medals behind Russia (38) and Germany (24).
“We believe we can be top three again,” says Ozzie Sawicki, the Canadian chef de mission.
“Certain things will have to align for that to happen, but we know what we need to accomplish.”
A repeat by visually-impaired cross country skier Brian McKeever, who won three gold in Vancouver, would be a good start.
Canada’s biggest challenge is replacing the record-tying five gold medals won at Vancouver by skier Lauren Wolstencroft, who competed on two prosthetic legs.
Visually-impaired skier Viviane Forrest also retired after earning one gold, three silver and a bronze.
“It creates an opportunity for some of the younger kids just coming along and some who’ve been in the system for a while, to see if they can really step up in a major event,” said Sawicki.
“And we’ve still got enough solid leadership in veterans like (visually impaired) Chris Williamson, (sit skier) Josh Dueck and (sit skier) Kim (Joines).”
Williamson, a 41-year-old from Markham, Ont., won a gold medal in 2002 and silver and bronze medals in 2006. Dueck, a Vernon native was a silver medallist in 2010, a Games that Joines, a longtime Rossland resident, missed due to injury.
Canada did win 14 medals at the 2013 IPC world paraalpine championships.
Only one of those medals was gold, however.
One of the most promising Paralympic rookies is 16-year-old Mac Marcoux of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. He has only six per cent peripheral vision and his 19-yearold brother, BJ, serves as his guide. The pair won silver in giant slalom at worlds and have two IPC World Cup victories this season.
“I’m not going to (Sochi to) place,” says Mac.
“I’m definitely going to shoot for gold.”
Interestingly, both the sledge hockey players and the curlers can, with gold medal victories, complete first-ever Olympic/Paralympic triples after Canada swept men’s and women’s hockey and men’s and women’s curling gold last month in Sochi.
In 2002 and 2010 Canada won Olympic gold in men’s and women’s hockey, but the sledge squad was fourth each time. In 2006 in Turin, the women’s hockey team and the sledge team won gold, but the men’s team finished seventh.