Canada's Cody Fournie sets a new paralympic record in the Men’s 100m T51 Final at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, France on Sept. 6, 2024.Angela Burger/The Canadian Press
Canada has surpassed its total medal count and gold medal count from the Tokyo Paralympics with two days remaining in Paris.
Wheelchair racer Cody Fournie earned his second gold of the Games, while discus thrower Jesse Zesseu took silver, both at Stade de France. In the pool, Sebastian Massabie struck gold for Canada’s 11th swimming medal and fourth gold.
Canada is now up to 23 medals and eight golds, having won 21 in total and five golds in Tokyo three years ago.
Fournie won the men’s T51 100-metre final while setting a personal best of 19.63 seconds after triumphing in the 200 on Tuesday. The 35-year-old from Rimbey, Alta., is making his Paralympic debut after years on the Canadian wheelchair rugby program.
For Zesseu, a 25-year-old from Toronto, it was redemption from his previous performance in Paris a year ago. He triple faulted in the discus, a moment he says was tough on him.
“I guess it was relief. I was here last year in exactly the same city, Paris, at the Stade Charlety [for the world championships] and I triple faulted. It was the worst moment in my life and I cried,” he said.
“I cried again now in Paris but for a different reason, a good reason.”
He was just over four metres shy of Tolibboy Yuldashev from Uzbekistan, whose gold-medal throw travelled a personal-best distance of 57.28 metres.
Haider Ali of Pakistan won bronze with a throw of 52.54.
“Over there, Yuldashev [set a personal best] by six metres; I love that guy. It’s incredible to have this feeling of being here,” Zesseu said of the atmosphere at Stade de France. “The crowd was insane.”
Zesseu competes in the men’s F37 classification and deals with mild cerebral palsy from a stroke at birth, which limits function on the right side of his body.
He came to para sport as an adult and was encouraged to explore his Paralympic potential while working for Cerebral Palsy Ontario.
“Everything in the last three years since I started para sport was to do this. I have no words, it’s just incredible,” he said.
In the pool, Canada’s Sebastian Massabie set a world record while claiming gold.
Massabie, 19, who was born in Toronto but now lives in Surrey, B.C., finished with a time of 35.61 seconds in the men’s S4 50-metre freestyle event. Japan’s Takayuki Suzuki grabbed silver (36.85), while Israel’s Ami Omer Dadaon took bronze (37.11).
“I feel really, really happy, excited, and proud of myself,” said Massabie, who trains with head coach Jy Lawrence at the Pacific Sea Wolves.
The time eclipsed his previous Paralympic record of 36.95, set in Friday morning’s heats, and smashed the world record of 36.25, set by Dadaon in 2022.
Earlier in the meet, he set Canadian records in both heats and finals of the 100 and 200 free, finishing fifth and sixth.
“At trials he broke all the national records but they were in the morning and he really struggled with putting together best times at night,” Lawrence said. “That has been the focus since May, is finding ways to be better at night, still going those best times in the morning but making slight adjustments at night.
“I’d say we were successful.”
The gold is Massabie’s first career Paralympic medal in his debut at the Games.
“Everything. It means everything to me,” Massabie said when asked what swimming means to him after the race.
In women’s wheelchair basketball, Canada fell 72-61 to the Netherlands in the semi-finals.
Arinn Young paced the Canadians with 29 points, while Kady Dandeneau had another 24.
Canada will next play China in the bronze-medal game on Sunday.