- Three athletes set to compete for
Canada
- Paris 2024 Paralympic Games
takes place August 28 to September
8
OTTAWA,
ON, July 19, 2024 /CNW/ - A team of three Para
dressage riders and their horses have been nominated to represent
Canada in Para equestrian at the
Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the
Canadian Paralympic Committee and Equestrian Canada announced
Friday.
Paris 2024 Canadian
Paralympic Team – PARA EQUESTRIAN
- Austen Burns & Happy
Feet 3 – Grade I – Newry, IRE
- Jody Schloss & El
Colorado – Grade I – Toronto,
ON
- Roberta Sheffield &
Fairuza – Grade II – Lincolnshire, GBR
Paris will be the third
Paralympic Games appearances for Sheffield and Schloss.
Sheffield, who holds dual citizenship with the UK but represents
Canada on the international stage,
made her debut at Rio 2016 where she helped the country to a
13th place team finish. She then competed individually
at Tokyo 2020 where she placed
12th and was part of the team that achieved
10th place. At both Games she competed in Grade III. She
was reclassified earlier this year and will be entering the Grade
II ring in Paris alongside
Fairuza.
"I cannot describe how it feels to be nominated for Team
Canada," said Sheffield, who is currently ranked seventh in the FEI
World Para Dressage Individual Rankings (Grade II). "It is such a
huge honour to represent my country, and it's been such an
incredible journey with so many twists and turns. There is nothing
like wearing the maple leaf."
Grade I athlete Schloss made her debut at London 2012 and then represented Canada at Tokyo 2020 where she finished 11th
place. Her partnership with El Colorado is a new and developing one
that has proven to be an exciting one to watch through the run up
to Paris.
Both Sheffield and Schloss represented Canada at the 2022 FEI World Championships in
Herning, Denmark where Schloss
placed 13th in the Grade I and Sheffield placed fifth in
the Grade III.
Also a Grade I athlete, Burns will make his Paralympic Games
debut with his partner Happy Feet 3. Based in Northern Ireland, Burns was born in
Vancouver and began riding in
Langley, BC at the age of
three.
To be eligible to participate in the Paris 2024 Para equestrian competitions, the
selected athlete-horse combinations must have achieved the FEI
Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MER) at selected events during
the qualification period. The athletes each qualified for the team
based on their performance results during the internal
qualification period of January 1 –
July 1, 2024.
"All three of our athletes have worked hard to get here, and we
are looking forward to the next step for them in Paris," said Christine
Peters, Senior Manager, Dressage Olympic/Paralympic Program
at Equestrian Canada. "With a support team on the ground with
significant Paralympic experience, everyone will have the
opportunity to perform at their best. We are very appreciative of
all the help we have received from coaches, owners, grooms/staff,
and families that make this possible. We are also grateful for the
support from our funding partners including the Canadian Paralympic
Committee, Sport Canada, and Own the Podium."
Para equestrian at the Paralympic Games is contested in three
dressage events – individual and team tests where movements are
pre-determined, and a freestyle test where the riders choose their
movements. Athletes compete in five separate classifications, which
are mixed gender, based on their level of impairment from highest
to lowest: I, II, III, IV and V.
At the Paris Games, competition
will take place at the Palace of Versailles. Burns, Schloss, and Sheffield will
participate in the individual event on September 3, team event on September 6, with the individual freestyle on
September 7.
Canada has won four Paralympic
medals in equestrian. Lauren Barwick
won gold and silver at Beijing
2008, while Karen Brain won two
bronze at Athens 2004.
"I am so pleased to welcome Roberta, Jody, and Austen to the
Canadian Paralympic Team for Paris," said Josh Vander Vies, co-chef de
mission, Paris 2024 Canadian
Paralympic Team. "Roberta and Jody head to Paris with lots of experience to their names,
and I'm sure that experience will offer support to Austen at his
first Games. I wish them well with their final preparations, and we
will be supporting them all the way."
"Congratulations to our three nominated Para equestrian
athletes!" said Karolina Wisniewska,
co-chef de mission, Paris 2024
Canadian Paralympic Team. "Roberta, Jody, and Austen are
accomplished Para dressage riders who have earned their places in
Paris – and what an experience it
will be to compete at the iconic Palace of Versailles. We wish each of them the best of
luck and will be cheering them on."
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games
will take place August 28 to September
8 in Paris, France.
Canada is expecting to send a team
of approximately 130 athletes.
Prior to being officially named to the Canadian Paralympic Team,
all nominations are subject to approval by the Canadian Paralympic
Committee. The current list of nominated athletes can be found
HERE. The approved final roster will be announced closer to the
start of the Games.
About the Canadian Paralympic Committee:
Paralympic.ca
About Equestrian
Canada: Equestrian.ca
SOURCE Canadian Paralympic Committee (Sponsorships)