The Paralympics have wrapped up. Here’s what happened with Saskatchewan coaches Frank Gaudet, Eric Kramer, Carla Nicholls and John Wetzstein.
Regina’s Frank Gaudet accompanied the lone member of the Canadian Para badminton team, Olivia Meier, who finished fifth, as the sport made its Paralympic debut.
Kramer attended the Games along with two of his athletes from the Saskatoon Lasers Swimming Club, Shelby Newkirk and Nikita Ens.
Newkirk set a Canadian record of 1:22.83 seconds to finish fourth in the women’s S6 100-m backstroke, set another Canadian record in the S6 50-m freestyle to finish ninth in her heat with a time of 35.50 seconds —just out of qualifying for the final— and also competed in the S7 100-m freestyle where she finished her heat with a time of 1:19.06, but did not advance to the final.
Although Ens wasn’t able to advance to the final in any of her events, she did set a Canadian record in the women’s SM4 150-m individual medley with a time of 4:34.01. She also competed in the S3 50-m backstroke (1:10.82) and the S3 100-m freestyle (2:32.56).
As part of the Para athletics coaching staff, Broadview’s Carla Nicholls attended her first Paralympics after previously being part of Team Canada at three Olympic Games. In Tokyo, the Para athletics team captured multiple medals.
Regina’s John Wetzstein assisted the seven-athlete Para rowing team in Tokyo as part of his second Paralympics experience. He first attended in Rio 2016, helping Canada to earn its first-ever medal in the sport.
Find all the Saskatchewan results and highlights on Cheer on Sask.
