Three Quebecers to represent Canada at the Paris Paralympic Games

Quebec's Brent Lakatos races to win the elite men's wheelchair race at the London Marathon in England on Sunday, October 4, 2020. (John Sibley/Pool via AP)

Three Quebecers are among the 20 athletes named to represent Canada in para-athletics at the Paris Paralympic Games, Athletics Canada announced on Thursday.

They are Anthony Bouchard of Quebec City, Brent Lakatos of Dorval, and Guillaume Ouellet, of Victoriaville.

Bouchard will take part in the T52 100 and 400 m events, while Lakatos will compete in the T53 400, 800, 1500 and 5000 m races, and Ouellet in the T13 5000 m race.

Lakatos leads the Canadian delegation with 11 medals from five career Paralympic Games. The Quebecer won four silver medals at Tokyo 2021, where he was Canada's flag bearer at the closing ceremony.

Ouellet will be making his third appearance at the Games. He was a bronze medallist in the men's 1500 m T34 at the 2023 World Para-Athletics Championships.

For his part, Bouchard, who didn't start wheelchair racing until 2020, has quickly established himself as one of the most promising medal hopefuls, having won gold at the Santiago Parapan American Games in the men's 100 m T52.

The Canadian para-athletics team returned from Tokyo 2021 with eight medals - two gold, four silver and two bronze - won by five participants in individual events. That's the same number of medals and medallists as in Rio 2016.

The para-athletics competitions in Paris will take place from Aug. 30 to Sept. 8, at the Stade de France.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 25, 2024.