By Craig Skinner
Canada has a host of new heroes on its hands after the country’s Paralympians delivered a performance in Sydney that can only be described as golden — 38 times golden, actually.
Our athletes finished the 2000 Sydney Summer Paralympic Games, which ran Oct. 18-29, with 38 gold, 33 silver and 25 bronze, good for a whopping tally of 96 medals.
This total left Canada fifth overall in the medal standings, behind Australia, Britain, the United States and Spain.
The Canadians even won two more gold medals than our mighty neighbours to the south, an achievement that will no doubt bring smiles to faces from Vancouver to St. John’s.
Canada triumphed in every venue, from the swimming pool to the basketball court and everywhere in between.
In the pool, where 169 world records were broken, Canada made a big splash, winning 48 medals, led by 16-year-old Stephanie Dixon, who won six medals.
On the court, the Canadians pulled off a double-gold victory as the men and women proved to be the kings and queens of wheelchair basketball.
The men beat the Netherlands 57-43 to take the gold, while the women crushed the host Australians 46-27 in their final.
There was no shortage of other Canadian triumphs, including a gold medal victory in women’s goalball and Clayton Gerein’s photo-finish victory, after over two hours of racing, in the wheelchair marathon.
Canada’s performance in Sydney has to go down as one of the country’s greatest triumphs on the Paralympic stage. But to truly appreciate the exploits of these world-class athletes one must go beyond the medal totals.
These athletes, whether or not they came home with a medal, are all winners.
Centretown’s Jeff Christy is just one of many who came back from the Games without a medal. He competed on the men’s goalball team that finished 10th, but the long hours Christy spent training at the YMCA on Argyle Street — four hours each day — weren’t in vain.
For his efforts, Christy has secured his place as one of the world’s best in his sport. He has gained memories that, while he can’t hang them around his neck, he will cherish forever.
Another winner, in more ways than one, is Pier Morten of Burnaby, B.C. Morten proudly served as Canada’s flag-bearer at the closing ceremonies after taking on the world’s best and bringing home a bronze medal in judo.
The seven-time Paralympian, who is the world’s first totally blind and deaf black belt in the sport, displayed the type of self-confidence and self-esteem the Paralympics helps develop.
Following his selection as flag-bearer, the 41-year-old said, “I just want everyone to know we’re not handicapped. We’re just human beings, and we’re all gifted, all doing good work.”
So cheers to Morten and his Paralympic teammates on displaying their many gifts, but Morten was wrong on one count — the Canadians didn’t do good work in Sydney.
They did great.