Three Ottawa athletes join Team Canada at 2024 Paralympic Games
Posted Aug 16, 2024 12:11:18 PM.
Last Updated Aug 16, 2024 12:11:25 PM.
Three Ottawa athletes are set to compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games, taking place from August 28 to September 8 in Paris.
Canada’s Paralympic team includes 126 athletes that will represent the nation at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) announced earlier this week.
“This is such an accomplished team, with so many experienced athletes and exciting newcomers,” Karolina Wisniewska, co-chef de mission, Paris 2024 Canadian Paralympic Team, said in a press release.
Representing Canada at the 2024 Paralympics, includes Ottawa’s Bianca Borgella, 21, Trinity Lowthian, 22, and Brianna Hennessy, 39.
Bianca Borgella, a visually-impaired sprinter, will be making her debut at the 2024 Paralympic Games, competing in the T13 classification for athletes with visual impairments.
She began competing in Para athletics in 2021, and has achieved great success in this short time — winning silver in the T13 200m with a time of 25.00 seconds and bronze in the T13 100m at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris.
Borgella’s performance has led her to become one of Canada’s leading Para athletes, securing her spot on the Canadian Paralympic Team.
Ottawa athlete, Lowthian, has rapidly moved up the ranks of Canadian wheelchair fencing.
In 2018, Lowthian faced a severe health challenge, where her autonomic nervous system was compromised. Following a lengthy recovery, Lowthian joined the Ottawa Fencing Club as a Para athlete in 2022.
Within a short period, the Ottawa athlete has become a multiple Americas champion and has been acknowledged as a strong contender for the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Her achievements include winning two gold medals and one bronze at the 2024 Americas Championships, three medals at the 2022 Americas Championships, and competing in the 2023 World Championships.
“Trinity Lowthian’s story is one of resilience and determination. From overcoming severe health challenges to excelling in a new sport, she exemplifies the spirit of Paralympic athletes,” wrote the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
A Para canoe athlete from Ottawa, Hennessy, has won numerous international competitions since the last Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
In 2024, she won a silver medal for a third straight year in the women’s VL2 200-metre. Prior to this, Hennessy earned spots for Canada at the 2023 worlds in the VL2 and KL1, and took home bronze in the latter.
During Hennessy’s Paralympic Games debut in 2021, she competed in two Para Canoe events and earned fifth and eighth place — qualifying for Tokyo only two years after she took up the sport.
“There are going to be so many wonderful and compelling performances through the 11 days of competition in Paris as we see how greatness moves our Canadian athletes. I encourage all of Canada to celebrate this team!,” Wisniewska expressed.
