Brent Lakatos didn’t need a gold medal in today’s T53 800 metre final to solidify his status as one of the greatest of all time.
He went out and got one, anyway.
Lakatos used strategy when he wanted to. He slipped in behind leader Pongsakorn Paeyo for much of the first lap, before pulling out into the lead and forcing Paeyo to try and pass him.
“The plan was, I wanted to get to the front. I didn’t know if Paeyo would let me, because he’s got the fastest start. If I wasn’t in the front, then I was going to try and get there after 500 metres. I was not only able to get to the front, but I was able to block him and then I was able to hold him up. I would slow down if he slowed down. I would speed up if he tried to get by. So I kept him blocked in for about 400 meters until the final sprint, so it just worked out perfectly like we planned,” the champ said.
He had speed when he needed it. Down to the last 100 metres, with Paeyo shooting out to make his move, Lakatos found that extra gear and pulled away from everyone to claim his second Paralympic gold medal – the 13th Paralympic medal of his career (2 gold, 9 silver, 2 bronze).
Crossing the line in a season’s best time of 1:37.32, the legend pumped his fist.
As Paralympic champion, Brent Lakatos got to ring that large track-side bell, that is later destined chime a Notre-Dame Cathedral when it reopens.
“The lady at the track asked me, ‘Do you want to win the bell?’ Of course I want to ring the bell! So I went up there and I was able to rock my wheelchair and put all my momentum into that. That was fun. That’s awesome,” Lakatos said.
Hanes goes beyond
Julia Hanes wrapped up her second strong outing of these Paralympics by launching a personal best in the women’s F33 shot put final.
Her second throw travelled 7.15 metres. So did her fifth throw. Her sixth and final throw went for 7.14 metres, just to show you how locked in she was. Hanes finished 6th in the women’s final, just one centimetre short of 5th place.
“I know, and my coaches know, that there was a lot more in the tank and unfortunately there were some factors outside of my control. My hip strap broke on throw one, and so it just interrupted my rhythm and made me kind of second guess my ability to throw and to really push as hard as I can. But that’s part of the sport of seated throws is you have to roll with the punches and get back at within the minute to throw another shot put and try and do it better. So it is what it is, but I’m hoping that next competition I can outperform what I just did,” Hanes said.
Hanes was also 8th in the women’s F34 javelin final on Sunday.
“It’s really just such an incredible opportunity to be able to be here, to be able to compete against so many incredible para athletes this week, from javelin to shot put, and even to be in the Stade France and see all of the other events going on. It’s been a really, really incredible week,” she said.
Papaconstantinou advances
Marissa Papaconstantinou punched her ticket to the women’s T64 100 metre final, finishing 5th in her heat with a time of 13.24 seconds.
“That was a scary experience there. At the end, it was a reasonable time, but that was fast. I knew it was going to be really hard to make this final today,” she said. “I’m just going to take whatever I can into the final tomorrow and push all the way through the finish line and see what that ends up being.”
Papaconstantinou has a strong history in this event. She won bronze in this event a year ago at the World Para Athletics Championships, and three years ago at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Bouchard will race for the podium
Anthony Bouchard will race again in a final tomorrow, too. He earned his way into the men’s T52 100 metres with a time of 17.43 seconds – good for 2nd place in his heat.
“It went really well. I envisioned a few different scenarios and this is one of the best, so I’m pretty proud,” Bouchard said. “The race itself went well. At this point, it’s almost automatic. For me, I heard the gunshot and the next thing I know, the race is over and it went well.”
Gaunt completes her first Paralympics
Keegan Gaunt did not qualify for the women’s T13 400 metres final. She was 6th in her semi-final heat with a time of 1:03.16.
“I wanted to get out strong and I think I did that. On the flip side, I definitely felt that in the last 150 metres, so I really had to push through that. It wasn’t a PB, it was a tough race, but still happy with it,” Gaunt said.
Gaunt finished 9th in the women’s T13 1500 metres earlier this week in her first Paralympic race.
“It’s been phenomenal. It’s been my first time at a big major Paralympic games, so learning throughout, but the crowd and the atmosphere and the team has all been amazing, so it’s been great,” she said about her first Paralympic experience.
Medal count
Canadian para athletes have won five medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games: 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze:
- GOLD – Cody Fournie, T51 200 metres
- GOLD – Brent Lakatos, T53 800 metres
- GOLD – Greg Stewart, F46 Shot Put
- SILVER – Brent Lakatos, T53 400 metres
- BRONZE – Austin Smeenk, T34 100 metres
Tomorrow at Paris 2024
Friday at the track … what could be better?
Get ready for up to six big event finals, featuring Anthony Bouchard (T52 100 metres), Jesse Zesseu (F37 Discus), Renee Foessel (F38 Discus), Marissa Papaconstantinou (T64 100 metres) and gold medallist from earlier this week Cody Fournie (T51 100 metres).
Don’t sleep on the 4×100 metre Universal Relay team. They can compete for the medals tomorrow night, with a strong showing in the qualifier tomorrow morning.
Plus, Austin Smeenk races in the men’s T34 800 metres, looking for his second medal in Paris, in the event where he holds the world record. Nate Riech looks to book his spot in the men’s T38 1500 metres, the event where he is the defending Paralympic champion and a two-time world champion.
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