Michael Barber of Victoria was just one year out from racing high school track for St. Michaels University School when he became an international and represented sa国际传媒 at 19 in the 2019 Lima Para Pan Am Games, placing sixth.
Barber took the next step in reaching the podium this week in the 2023 Santiago Para Pan Am Games by taking the silver medal in the men’s T20 1,500 metres in four minutes, 11.99 seconds as he looks to his eventual goal of the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
“I was really happy with it, I really wanted to come out here and improve what happened four years ago, so I can’t complain,” Barber said in a statement.
Samuel Guarin of Colombia won the gold medal in 4:10.71 and Carmelo Rivera of Puerto Rico the bronze medal in 4:13.36.
Barber is the son of former Canadian international Gary Barber of Victoria, who ran in the Commonwealth Games, and now coaches his son.
Also taking home silver on the track in Santiago was veteran Liam Stanley of Victoria, who won the silver medal in the men’s T38 1,500 metres Wednesday in a time of 4:13.60, which was just 0.98 seconds behind Leo Merle of the U.S.
It added to Stanley’s medal collection, which includes the 1,500 silver medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and 1,500-metre silver and 800-metre bronze at the 2019 Lima Para Pan Am Games.
Former sa国际传媒 high school-champion Glenlyon Norfolk able-bodied soccer star Stanley, who had a stroke at birth which rendered the right side of his body partially paralyzed, also, placed fifth in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics behind fellow-Victorian and 1,500-metre gold-medallist Nate Riech.
Canadian wheelchair rugby co-captain Trevor Hirschfield of Parksville, and player Byron Green of Victoria, are into the semifinals against Brazil after going 5-0 in the preliminary round in the Santiago Para Pan Am Games.
Hirschfield is still rolling strong at age 40 after competing in the 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics with silver and bronze medals. The former Oceanside hockey player and BCHL Junior A prospect with the Cowichan Valley Capitals, before a van accident in 2000 while visiting his grandparents in Sicamous left him paraplegic, also has gold and silver from the 2015 Toronto and 2019 Lima Para Pan Am Games.
sa国际传媒 closed out the preliminary round with a 46-41 win over the top-ranked U.S. in an enduring rivalry that featured in the 2005 Academy Award nominated documentary Murderball.
“The U.S. is a great team and if you’re not coming in focused, they’ll roll over you,” said Hirschfield, in a statement.
“We came out, followed our game plan, and we were ready. We saw what’s working, where we had successes, and we got a bunch of different guys on the court. We’re going to take a lot from this game.”
A team of 140 athletes, including competition partners, are representing sa国际传媒 at the Para Pan Am Games with 70 coaches and staff supporting them in Santiago.
sa国际传媒 was ninth in the medals table late Wednesday night with 25 medals, including four golds. The top-three were Brazil with 202 medals, including 93 golds, the U.S. with 88 medals, including 29 golds, and Colombia with 92 medals, including 26 golds.
