Keely Shaw and Julie Kozun come from different places and compete in different sports, but they have one thing in common – 2016 wheelchair basketball Paralympian Erica Gavel. “Erica came up to me in the gym one day when I was working out and said she had heard my story,” said Shaw. “And that passing conversation in the gym essentially changed my life.” Growing up in Midale, Shaw was passionate about hockey and had dreamed of competing at the Olympics. However, when she was a teenager, a fall from a horse left her with a broken blood vessel in her brain causing partial paralysis. “When I ..read more

Julie Bakke’s role as a classifier is simple – to ensure integrity in sport. “We’re out to make sure it’s fair for everyone and we’re doing the best job possible for the athlete,” said Bakke. But what exactly is a classifier? “Ultimately classification is there to try and help minimize the impact of the disability to allow (athletes) to participate,” said Bakke, who was one of two classifiers from Saskatchewan selected to attend the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. A classifier’s job is to determine eligibility for athletes in Paralympic sports while helping maximize the athlete’s potenti ..read more

Written by: Matt Johnson — Photo by: Scott Grant/Canadian Paralympic Committee. Since 2009, Marie Wright has been no stranger to wheelchair curling in Saskatchewan.  But the resident of Moose Jaw and product of Oxbow got her first official introduction to the mixed doubles game after competing for Canada at the 2022 World Wheelchair Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Lohja, Finland.  The inaugural mixed doubles world championship came as a precursor for the 2026 Paralympics where the sport is set to debut, following in the steps of the Olympics where the curling variation d ..read more

DAY TWELVE/TOTAL RECAP – SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 With Day 12 of competition and the Closing Ceremony taking place on the same day, the Tokyo Paralympics have officially come to an end with Canada capturing 21 medals overall, including five gold, 10 silver and six bronze. Four of those silvers belonged to wheelchair racer Brent Lakatos, who was named Canada’s flag bearer for the Closing Ceremony. No Saskatchewan athletes competed on the final day of the Games, but here’s a recap of how they did. Making her Paralympic debut, Midale’s Keely Shaw captured Canada’s first medal of the Games on Day ..read more

Saskatchewan will send its largest contingent in history to the Paralympic Summer Games with 20 individuals from the province who will represent Canada in Tokyo Aug. 24 to Sept. 5. The Saskatchewan group includes eight athletes, four coaches, two support staff, four officials and two classifiers. Eight athletes is the third most in history for the province, matching the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Saskatchewan had its largest athlete group with 10 in 2004 in Athens and sent nine to Sydney in 2000.   Wheelchair basketball player from Regina Nik Goncin leads the athlete group in experien ..read more