(Manchester, UK) The Canadian Men’s National Wheelchair Basketball Team won gold at the 2011 Paralympic Cup held May 23-28, 2011 in Manchester, UK, by defeating France 56-46 in the Championship game.
Canada stormed out of the gates and outscored France 21-6 in the opening frame of the championship match and never looked back. France rallied to narrow the gap on the scoreboard, but Canada denied the comeback with solid two-way play. David Eng (Montreal, QC) dropped a game-high 14 points, followed closely by Patrick Anderson (Fergus, ON), who tallied 12 points for the Canucks.
Canada wrapped up the competition with an overall win-loss record of 3-1.The team’s lone defeat came at the hands of France (60-56) in preliminary play, but the Canadians took revenge in a timely fashion to seize the gold medal. Canada also captured victories against Brazil (55-48) and the defending champions from Great Britain (56-52) in the preliminary round.
The Canadian Men have reached the podium in each of their four appearances at the Paralympic World Cup. Their medal count now stands at three gold and one silver.
Schedule &
Results:
2011 BT Paralympic World
Cup - http://www.wheelchairbasketball.ca/en/tournament.aspx?id=3820
Team
Roster:
Sr. Men’s National Team
- http://www.wheelchairbasketball.ca/en/full.aspx?id=65
The Canadian Women
finished fourth after a 55-44 loss to Japan in the bronze medal
contest.
The tournament
served as a warm-up event for the 2011 Parapan American Games (November
12-20) where both the Canadian Men and Women will compete for a spot at the 2012
Paralympic Games in London.
About the
tournament:
The BT Paralympic World
Cup tournament is a world class multi-sport disability event for elite
international athletes, bridging the gap between the Paralympic Games held every
four years.
The tournament features several of the
top wheelchair basketball teams in the world as they represent their respective
global regions and compete for both their individual sport trophies and for the
overall BT Paralympic Cup Trophy, which will be awarded to the region with the
most accumulative points from each discipline.
For more
information visit: www.wheelchairbasketball.ca
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About Wheelchair Basketball Canada
Wheelchair Basketball Canada is the national sports governing body responsible for the organization of wheelchair basketball in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization that is the Canadian member to the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF).
Wheelchair basketball is a fast paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport that has emerged as one of the most competitive and athletic sports played at the Paralympic Games. Our senior national teams are held in high esteem around the world for the elite skill and control that placed them on the podium with a combined five gold and one silver medal in the last five Paralympic Games.
For more
information or to schedule an interview contact:
Jody
Kingsbury
Communications
Manager
Wheelchair
Basketball Canada
613-260-1296
ext. 204
jkingsbury@wheelchairbasketball.ca
