Canada’s wheelchair Cody Fournier rock: While Cody Fournie was at a turning point in his sports career, he chose to go to the track. The former member of the national wheelchair rugby team won gold in the wheelchair race at the Paralympic Games in Paris on Tuesday.
Canada’s second gold medal in Paris came from the 35-year-old from Victoria, who won the men’s T51 200 meters. Nicholas Bennett won the gold medal in swimming the night before. Thursday, Fournie said, “During COVID I was in a transition period and didn’t really know what I was going to do.”
I had no idea how long I could continue playing rugby. I just met someone who told me to talk to coach Geoff Harris, and the rest is history. With a time of 37.64 seconds, Fournie ran the 200 meters faster than any other time in his career.
In his very first Paralympic race, Fournie triumphed. “That’s a good start. It has been very hard work. “Fournie stated he and his coach worked hard and dedicated time. “The 200 has always been the hardest for me, which is why we worked on it the most.”
I executed [the race] perfectly.” Toni Piispanen of Finland won silver in 38.55 seconds, and Peter Genyn of Belgium won bronze in 38.65 seconds.
After the race, Fournie got a yellow card for “unsporting or improper conduct.” His score was said to be under protest, but it stood after being looked over. At the World Para Athletics Championship in Kobe, Japan, in May, Fournie won a silver medal in the 100IJm event.
That race is on Friday at 2:56 p.m. ET, and you can watch it live on CBC Gem, the Paris 2024 website, or the Paris 2024 mobile app. He told a packed Stade de France, “I’ve never raced in front of so many people before.” “Back at home, my family is watching TV online.” It was great to hear the crowd cheer.
Fournie has been paraplegic since he was 11 years old. He started playing wheelchair rugby in 2010 and then switched to track just over a decade later. Changing from rugby to racing helps because I trained so hard and spent so much time doing it, he said. It was hard to figure out how to use this chair during the race.
I had to use my head to move the chair because I didn’t have any gut muscles. That took some time to figure out. Canada’s third track and field title went to Fournie. In wheelchair races, Austin Smeenk got a bronze medal and Brent Lakatos won a silver medal.
