Follow these Sask. athletes striving for excellence at the 2024 Paralympics
The 2024 Paris Paralympic Games run Aug. 28 to Sept. 8
Saskatchewan is sending 10 athletes to the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.
From Para swimming, to wheelchair fencing, to Para rowing, here's what (and who) to watch:
Jacob Wassermann - Para rowing
Jacob Wassermann's lifelong dream of wearing the maple leaf on a global athletic stage has finally become a reality.
"It's still a little surreal," the Saskatoon athlete told CBC Sports in June.
Wassermann, 24, is one of 13 people who survived the horrific Humboldt Broncos bus crash tragedy in 2018, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. He was the team's No. 1 goaltender when the crash happened.
Sport has played a crucial role throughout his life and was a pivotal part of his healing process. Wassermann started taking Para rowing seriously about a year ago and in a very short time has excelled in the sport.
His first race is Aug. 30 at 2:10 p.m. CST.
Shelby Newkirk - Para swimming
Saskatoon's Shelby Newkirk set Canadian records for every Tokyo event she entered.
"I wanted more," said Newkirk. "I really wanted to get on that podium."
At 13, Newkirk was diagnosed with generalized dystonia, a neurological movement disorder that caused her to lose the use of movement in her right leg.
Newkirk had always played sports and decided to channel her competitive spirit into Para swimming.
Recently, she broke a world record for the 50-metre backstroke at an Indianapolis World Series stop.
Para swimming heats start Aug. 29.
Hannah Ouellette - Para swimming
Saskatoon's Hannah Ouellette is heading to the Paralympics for the first time.
Ouellette brought home bronze in the multi-class women's 50-metre butterfly at the 2022 Canada Games.
She said being born with a disability has never stopped her from following her dreams and she hopes to inspire others to do the same.
"I hope it just shows them that they can do anything that they're passionate," said Ouellette.
Para swimming heats start Aug. 29.
Nikita Ens - Para swimming
A car crash left Nikita Ens paralyzed from the waist down in February 2014.
She had always lived a very active lifestyle and said she finally felt freedom again while swimming.
"It's amazing being in the water," she said.
Ens has been swimming with the Saskatoon Lasers for six years and previously competed in the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics.
S3 heats begin Sept. 2.
Ryan Rousell - Wheelchair fencing
Ryan Rousell was born with cerebral palsy, which affects his motor skills on his right side.
That didn't stop him from falling in love with fencing. He competed with his able-bodied teammates on the Asquith Garde Fencing Club for years.
"It just became a passion for me,'' Rousell said.
Rousell switched to wheelchair fencing as a teen.
He competed at the Tokyo Olympics and said he hopes to bring home a medal this time around.
Wheelchair fencing starts Sept. 3.
Julie Kozun - Sitting volleyball
Julie Kozun grew up playing volleyball in Melfort, Sask.
In 2015, she was in a riding lawn mowing accident which resulted in the amputation of her lower left leg.
"My main concern in the hospital was if I was ever going to be able to play volleyball again."
A friend suggested sitting volleyball. She's now been playing for eight years.
Canada won silver at the World Cup in Egypt in 2023 and placed fourth in Tokyo.
Team Canada's pool play games are Aug. 29, Aug. 31 and Sept. 2.
Nik Goncin - Wheelchair basketball
Nik Goncin has been a senior national team athlete since 2013 and is co-captain.
Paris 2024 will be his third Paralympics.
The Regina athlete credits much of his athletic and personal development to the time he spent honing his craft in Saskatchewan gyms.
"I love trying to prove that we're small but mighty," he told CBC in April.
The Canadian men's wheelchair basketball team plays France in the preliminary round on Aug. 30 at 10:15 a.m. CST.
Garrett Ostepchuk - Wheelchair basketball
Garrett Ostepchuk no stranger to the international stage.
His first time on the court for the Canadian senior team was in 2017 and he represented Canada during the Tokyo Games.
Ostepchuk also plays professionally in Spain.
The Canadian men's wheelchair basketball team plays France in the preliminary round on Aug. 30 at 10:15 a.m. CST.
Ashlyn Renneberg - Para athletics
Ashlyn Renneberg is getting ready for her first Paralympic Games in Paris.
The visually impaired athlete will compete in women's F13 javelin.
She broke the Canadian record in Switzerland in June 2024 with a 31.48 metre throw.
The women's javelin throw F13 final will be helf on Aug. 31 at 2 a.m. CST.
Keely Shaw - Para cycling
Keely Shaw from Midale, Sask., is hoping to pedal her way to the podium in Paris.
Shaw earned a bronze medal in the C4 women's individual pursuit at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the only medal won by a Saskatchewan athlete there.
This March, she reached the world-championship podium in Rio de Janeiro with a third-place finish.
Shaw's resume includes a total of 10 World Cup medals and six from world championships.
She also recently earned a PhD in exercise science and nutrition at the University of Saskatchewan.
Para cycling track events start on Aug. 29. Shaw's first heat is on Aug. 30.
