The Canadian women鈥檚 wheelchair basketball team won first place at the Parapan Am Games in Lima, Peru and the men鈥檚 team finished in second place. Both teams have secured their spots at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics as the Parapan Am Games are a direct qualifier for the Paralympics and the top three teams move on.
The women鈥檚 team fought their way to the gold-medal game where they faced the U.S.A.鈥檚 wheelchair basketball team. Team Canada defeated their opponents with a score of 67-64. The women鈥檚 team didn鈥檛 lose a game in the entire tournament earning a 5-0 record.
The Parapan Am Games was women鈥檚 team member Kady Dandeneau鈥檚 first tournament of the sort. The athlete from Pender Island has only been playing wheelchair basketball for four years but has a background in stand-up basketball.
The final game between Canada and the U.S.A. was very back and forth and neither team had a big advantage, she explained. In the end, Canada won by just three points.
鈥淚t was a total team achievement,鈥� said Dandeneau. 鈥淭he whole program gets the credit.鈥�
READ ALSO: B.C. Wheelchair basketball team bags bronze
Dandeneau noted that she enjoyed seeing how the sport is coming along in countries where the teams are still developing.
The Canadian women鈥檚 team has been working hard on their team chemistry and it really paid off, said Dandeneau. She feels the team is in a good place having just come off this big win.
鈥淚鈥檓 super excited about the team and about heading into Tokyo,鈥� said Dandeneau. The Tokyo 2020 Paralympics will be her Paralympic debut 鈥� a fact she said still feels surreal. She noted that it鈥檚 hard to get really good at wheelchair basketball and that the athletes work just as hard as able-bodied athletes.
鈥淲heelchair basketball doesn鈥檛 have the same exposure as able-bodied sports 鈥� but it鈥檚 really no different,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople are often surprised how competitive and physical it is.鈥�
Dandeneau also noted that the Canadian women鈥檚 and men鈥檚 teams are quite close. The men鈥檚 team had a practice during the women鈥檚 gold-medal game, but caught the last quarter, she said.
READ ALSO: Victoria athlete has his sights set on gold at the 2019 Parapan Am Games in Lima
When Victoria athlete, Deion Green was named to the Canadian men鈥檚 wheelchair basketball team in July, he correctly predicted that the team would play in the gold-medal match. The men鈥檚 team won all their games in the tournament except for the gold-medal match against the U.S.A. team. The team placed second after losing 43-76. However, by placing second, the Canadian men鈥檚 team still secured their place at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
This was the Canadian men鈥檚 team鈥檚 second Parapan Am Games silver medal after they placed second in Toronto in 2015. The team then played in the Rio 2016 Paralympics but, according to Green, didn鈥檛 do well.
Two other players from B.C. also played for the Canadian teams in Lima 鈥� Bo Hedges from Wonowon and Tara Llanes from North Vancouver.
The athletes travelled back to Canada on Tuesday and Dandeneau hoped on the ferry for a quick visit at home on Pender Island before starting her Masters at the University of Illinois. She鈥檚 already itching to get back on the court.
Anyone interested in learning more or joining a team can contact the B.C. Wheelchair Sports Association, the B.C. Wheelchair Basketball Society or Victoria Wheelchair Sports.
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