When Liam Stanley of Victoria dreamed of medals in the Paralympics, he always envisioned a soccer pitch. But instead, it was a track as the all-rounder won the silver medal Sunday in the T37-classification (ambulatory) 1,500 metres in the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.
鈥淚鈥檝e dreamed of winning a medal for sa国际传媒 since I was little. But I鈥檓 not done. I鈥檓 going to keep training hard to bring home gold [at Tokyo 2020 and beyond],鈥� said Stanley, from Rio.
He just might. Stanley is only 19 and graduated from Glenlyon-Norfolk School in the spring, where he starred on school teams in able-bodied soccer, basketball and track. Stanley suffered a stroke at birth and is partially paralyzed down the right side of his body.
鈥淚鈥檓 really grateful I was given the opportunity to compete for sa国际传媒 at the Paralympics and bring home a medal,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t was an honour.鈥�
Stanley is the two-time Canadian para-soccer player of the year. Bruce Deacon, the two-time Olympic marathoner-turned-coach, was impressed by Stanley鈥檚 pace on the pitch as he led GNS to two Colonist Cup high school championship game appearances and three sa国际传媒 single-A titles. Deacon made Stanley a deal: If sa国际传媒 failed to qualify for the Rio Paralympics in soccer, Deacon would take Stanley on with the goal of qualifying him in track. That is exactly what transpired.
The race Sunday was riveting, with Michael McKillop of Ireland winning gold, and Stanley the silver, four seconds behind in 4:16.72. McKillop added to his gold medals in the 800 and 1,500 from London 2012 and gold in the 800 from Beijing 2008.
鈥淢cKillop is an incredibly talented and successful runner, so I knew it was going to be tough,鈥� said Stanley, who stayed right on McKillop鈥檚 shoulder until the final 200 metres .
鈥淲hen he surged, I managed to stay with him. He pulled ahead with 200 metres to go, but I knew I had to keep fighting to clinch silver. I loved every minute of that race. I love a good battle. I love to fight. I鈥檓 looking forward to facing McKillop again.鈥�
The moment Sunday will forever be with Stanley.
鈥淭he energy in Olympic Stadium was incredible and it was packed [30,000 filling the lower bowl]. It was so much fun to race with so many cheering people supporting all the athletes,鈥� said the Prairie Inn Harriers runner.
鈥淚鈥檝e had lots of messages from people back home in Victoria supporting me and I really appreciate that, too. It鈥檚 been an awesome experience.鈥�
The Elk Lake-based Canadian mixed coxed four won bronze Sunday in Rio for sa国际传媒鈥檚 first-ever Paralympics rowing medal. The crew consists of Meghan Montgomery of Shawnigan Lake, Curtis Halladay of Sudbury, Ont., Victoria Nolan of Toronto, Andrew Todd of Ottawa and coxswain Kristen Kit of Victoria.
Sailing began Monday. Going for medals are Royal Victoria Yacht Club sailors Bruce Millar, who was eighth after the opening day in the 2.4-metre class, and the husband-and-wife duo of Jackie Gay and two-time Paralympics medallist John McRoberts in the Skud-18 class. McRoberts and Gay were second overall after two of 11 races.
The Canadian wheelchair rugby team 鈥� silver medallist at Athens 2004 and London 2012 and bronze medallist at Beijing 2008 鈥� has several players based in Greater Victoria and who train at PISE. Competition begins Wednesday in Rio.
Parksville-Qualicum MLA Michelle Stilwell, the sa国际传媒 social development minister, won the women鈥檚 wheelchair track 400 metres over the weekend for her fifth career Paralympics gold medal and she goes for another Saturday in the 100 metres.
The Canadian women鈥檚 wheelchair basketball team, led by former University of Victoria Vikes hoops star Janet McLachlan, finished 3-1 in pool play and advanced to meet the Netherlands in the quarter-finals today. McLachlan won two national championships in her five seasons at UVic before turning to wheelchair basketball after shredding a knee while playing rugby for sa国际传媒
鈥淚鈥檓 so proud of Janet. She turned lemons into lemonade to become one of the top wheelchair basketball players in the world,鈥� said Kathy Shields, who coached McLachlan at UVic.
Meanwhile on Monday, it was a heart-breaking day of competition for Canadian athletes.
sa国际传媒 was able to come away with five top-five finishes, but no medals.
In track and field, Pamela LeJean of Cape Breton, N.S., narrowly missed the podium and placed fourth in the women鈥檚 F53 shot put, leaving her disappointed with the result after a strong few months leading into the Games.
鈥淚t is below my expectation,鈥� said LeJean. 鈥淚 was throwing further in training than the gold medal winner for the past four months.
鈥淚t is very frustrating and devastating.鈥�
There were two more fourth-place finishes for sa国际传媒 in swimming. Nathan Stein of Surrey and Alec Elliot of Kitchener, Ont., were fourth and fifth in the men鈥檚 S10 100-metre butterfly while Sarah Mehain of Vernon and Tess Routliffe of Caledon, Ont., were fourth and eighth in the women鈥檚 S7 50-metre butterfly.
