Canadian Sport Institute Ontario – TORONTO (September 22, 2016) – Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO) would like to congratulate the 48 athletes and guides, numerous coaches and countless support staff from Ontario, as well as the entire Canadian Paralympic Team, for an outstanding performance at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. The Canadian Team delivered inspiring, passionate performances, showing the nation what it means to be PARATOUGH.

Team Canada finished 14th in the medal standings with 29 medals – 8 Gold, 10 Silver and 11 Bronze, eclipsing its performance goal of a Top-16 finish overall at the Games.

Team Canada’s success was highlighted by six super-star athletes who won multiple medals at the Games: Closing Ceremony flagbearer Aurélie Rivard, Swimming (3 Gold, 1 Silver); Michelle Stilwell, Athletics (2 Gold); Brent Lakatos, Athletics (1 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze); Tristen Chernove, Cycling (1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze); Ross Wilson, Cycling (2 Silver); and Charles Moreau, Cycling (2 Bronze).

The Games saw 7 Ontario-hometown athletes contribute to 4 (1 Silver, 3 Bronze) of the 29 medals won by Team Canada.

Athletes who have received support from CSIO along their career development pathway, also contributed to 4 of the Bronze medals won by Canada, or 14% of all Team Canada medals. These medal winning performances came from 8 CSIO affiliated athletes.

2016 Paralympic Medalists Affiliated With CSIO:

• Rowing LTA Mixed Coxed Four: Meghan Montgomery, Victoria Nolan, Kristen Kit,  Andrew Todd, and Curtis Haliday were part of the team who won the nation’s first-ever Paralympic medal ever in rowing, a Bronze.
• Shelley Gautier: A twelve-time World Champion, Shelley won a Bronze medal in Road Cycling in the T1-2 Time Trial.
• Benoit Huot: Benoit won his 20th Paralympic medal, a Bronze in the 400m Freestyle S10. A five-time Paralympic swimmer Benoit trained at CSIO during the lead-up to the 2015 ParaPan Am Games in Toronto.
• Paul Tingley: Paul, a five-time Paralympian and two-time Paralympic medallist, won a Bronze medal in 3-person keelboat (Sonar) with teammates Scott Lutes and Logan Campbell.

Two sports made their debut at these Games – para-canoe and triathlon. Ontario and CSIOaffiliated athlete, Erica Scarff, made the Final and finished 7th in Women’s Para-canoe KL3. While, Ontario’s Christine Robbins finished 10th in the Women’s PT5 Triathlon.

Many Canadian athletes achieved personal bests and set Canadian and Paralympic Records at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. There was an astounding number of Canadian Top-5 and Top-8 performances, 62 and 105 respectively, each one full of passion, athleticism, and determination. These performances, along with many others from young and first-time Paralympians signal a bright future for Canada at the Paralympic Games and international competition.

As we begin the new quadrennial and look ahead to Tokyo 2020 and beyond, CSIO is excited to support para sport and Paralympic athletes on their athletic journey.

A Complete List of Ontario Medallists & CSIO Affiliated Medallists from the Rio Paralympic Games is Enclosed.

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“It was an incredible Paralympic Games for Canada, and many Ontario athletes. CSIO is extremely proud of the athletes and their powerful performances. Congratulations goes out to all of the athletes, guides, coaches and support staff on a job well done. You are an inspiration to Canadians of all ages and abilities, and have represented Canada with pride. Thank you to the Government of Canada and Sport Canada; the Province of Ontario and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport; Own The Podium; and the Canadian Paralympic Committee for their support of CSIO and Ontario athletes at these Games.”

Debbie Low
CEO, Canadian Sport Institute Ontario

About Canadian Sport Institute Ontario

Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO) is a non-profit organization committed to the pursuit of excellence by providing world-class programs, services, and leadership to high performance athletes and coaches to enhance their ability to achieve international podium performances. CSIO offers athletes a range of sport science and sport medicine services including nutrition, physiology, biomechanics, strength & conditioning, mental performance, sport therapy and life services. CSIO also delivers programming and services to National and Provincial Sport Organizations and coaches to work towards building a stronger sport system in Ontario and Canada.

CSIO services approximately 700 high performance athletes and 250 coaches, at its main facility at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, its satellite location at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, and in daily training environments across Ontario. CSIO is part of a larger network of 4 institutes and 3 multi-sport centres across the country known as the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Sport Institute Network, working in partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee. CSIO is further supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Sport Canada, Own the Podium, and the Coaching Association of Canada, along with the National and Provincial Sport Organizations within the sector.  www.csiontario.ca

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Media Contact:
Laura Albright, Senior Communications Coordinator
Canadian Sport Institute Ontario
Tel: 416.596.1240 Ext. 238
Email: lalbright@csiontario.ca 
www.csiontario.ca