Five New Brunswick athletes will take to the ultimate stage for Paralympic sport over the next couple of weeks. The province's athletes will compete in wheelchair basketball, the triathlon, cycling and swimming. And three of them are repeat Paralympians.
Colin Higgins of Rothesay will be taking to the court for his second Paralympics in men's wheelchair basketball. "We're going to take it one game at a time, one day at a time, and you know, see what happens," Higgins told CBC's Shift.
Higgins said his experience in Paris so far is already night and day compared to Tokyo's Games.
"Tokyo was awesome, but it just always felt like something was missing," he said of the Games that were postponed to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Canadian Paralympic Committee, Higgins severed his peroneal nerve at the age of 22, resulting in a gait abnormality sometimes referred to as "drop foot."
The website says that Higgins showed off his offensive skills during the deciding game to qualify for the Paris Paralympics, scoring 14 points and adding 16 rebounds, helping Canada defeat Italy 72-60.
Kamylle Frenette is another second-timer when it comes to the Paralympics.
The 28-year-old came fourth in the Para triathlon during Tokyo 2020, just missing out on a medal.
But according to the Canadian Paralympic Committee website, in her international career, Frenette has earned four victories and 21 medals overall in 29 starts.
The Dieppe woman was born with a club foot, the website says, resulting in a smaller right foot than left and reduced ankle mobility.
The website goes on to say that Frenette began training and racing with her father, who also competed in triathlon, at 16 years old. At 18, she did her first Ironman in Calgary.
From 2014 to 2018, the Canadian Paralympic Committee says she ran with the Université de Moncton cross-country team, and in 2016, she was approached by the Canadian Para triathlon team.
Along with being a successful athlete, Frenette also holds a degree in biology from the Université de Moncton and a pharmacy degree from Dalhousie University. The website says she was a frontline health-care provider during the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing her training.
The last of New Brunswick's returning Paralympians is Danielle Dorris, who is making her third trip to the Games for swimming.
"I'm coming in as a three-time vet, and I'm coming in with more confidence," Dorris previously told CBC News.
At Dorris's first Games, Rio 2016, she made history as the youngest Canadian swimmer to ever compete at the Games. She was only 13.
At the Tokyo Paralympics, Dorris won gold in the women's 50-metre butterfly S7, according to the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and silver in the 100-metre backstroke S7.
Dorris was born with a condition called bilateral radial dysplasia, which causes underdeveloped arms, the Paralympic committee's website says.
In her free time, the website says Dorris has been a mentor and advocate for children with disabilities.
Making Their Paralympic Debut
Desiree Isaac-Pictou will be attending the Paralympics for the first time.
The Ugpi'ganjig wheelchair basketball player was a member of the Canadian women's team that won silver at the Parapan American Games in 2023.
The 24-year-old was injured in 2020 while watching a mud bog race near her hometown when a vehicle derailed and struck her, resulting in two leg amputations, according to the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
During her rehabilitation, her recreational therapist introduced her to Parasport New Brunswick's executive director and she started to learn about adaptive sports.
Alexandre Hayward, a former wheelchair basketball player, took up cycling during the pandemic, but quickly began collecting accolades on a global stage.
At the Parapan American Games in Chile, he walked away with two gold, a silver and a bronze.
Hayward previously told CBC News that he enjoyed the normalcy of cycling — being able to join group rides and completely fitting in with other cyclists.
The Canadian Paralympic Committee's website says the Quispamsis athlete opened the 2024 season with a gold medal win in the C3 time trial and bronze in road race at a world cup in Australia.
The website says that Hayward broke his neck in 2012 while playing in a AAA hockey game. The young athlete was considered a candidate for the QMJHL draft that year, at 16 years old, but his injury impaired all four of his limbs.
He turned to wheelchair basketball after his injury and played for New Brunswick at the Canada Winter Games and captained the national junior team.
Para cycling started for him as a way to stay fit during COVID-19 but "snowballed" from there.
And while athletics have always been huge for Hayward, he also earned a degree in engineering from the University of New Brunswick in 2023.
A New Brunswick Paralympic Legacy
With the Paralympic Games set to begin on Wednesday, New Brunswick will be watching their athletes with great pride. These dedicated individuals, each with their unique stories of overcoming adversity, are set to inspire the province and the nation with their resilience and determination on the world stage. They are not just athletes; they are role models, pioneers, and testaments to the human spirit's boundless potential. As they strive for their best performances, they will also be carrying the hopes and aspirations of a community that believes in their dreams.
The Paralympic Games begin on Wednesday, with the opening ceremony streaming live on CBC Gem at 2:30 p.m. AT.
