Wheelchair athlete Austin Smeenk from Oakville, Ontario, clinched a bronze medal at the Para athletics world championships for the second consecutive time, securing the third position in the men’s 400-meter T34 final amidst hot and humid conditions in New Delhi. Smeenk completed the race in 49.43 seconds, slightly slower than his season’s best of 48.50 seconds but enough to edge out Ali Radi Arshid of Qatar by 9-100ths of a second, marking Canada’s first medal at the event. Smeenk set a personal best of 48.06 seconds, which was a world record back in June 2024.
Thailand’s Chaiwat Rattana claimed the gold with a time of 48.01 seconds, followed by Rheed McCracken of Great Britain in second place with 48.67 seconds. In the previous championships in Paris in 2023, Smeenk earned his initial major championship medal by securing a bronze in the 400 meters and a silver in the 100 meters.
Expressing his feelings about winning the medal, Smeenk stated, “Medals hold significant value, symbolizing our achievements. Today, I ranked third globally in the 400 meters, which is quite commendable. Winning these medals requires immense effort as the competition conditions are challenging. All the athletes have performed exceptionally well.”
Last year in France, the 28-year-old athlete secured two medals at his third Paralympics, a bronze in the 100 meters and a gold in the 800 meters. Interestingly, the 400 meters race was not part of the competition program.
“It’s a great honor to represent Canada and all those individuals who have supported individual sports. It truly takes a team effort to reach this level,” Smeenk added.
Smeenk, who was born with a hereditary form of paraplegia leading to lower limb stiffness, can walk short distances and enjoys cycling for longer distances. Among the 26-member Canadian team, he is one of seven Paralympic medalists. Canada had its most successful world championships two years ago in Paris, securing 14 medals, the highest tally since claiming 15 medals in 2013.
In a separate event, Julia Hanes from LaSalle, Ontario, set a new Canadian record and topped the Americas mark in the women’s F34 javelin final with a throw of 16.86 meters. Hanes expressed her excitement about achieving a personal best and aiming to break the world record of 16.99 meters set by Lucyna Kornobys of Poland in 2019.
Additional Canadian results from Monday’s competitions included Addisyn Franceschini from Geraldton, Ontario, finishing sixth in the women’s discus throw F64 final with a personal best of 25.76 meters, and Nick Neri from Brampton, Ontario, placing seventh in the men’s 1,500-meter T13 heat with a time of 4:10.16.
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