Brent Lakatos of Dorval, Que., and Guillaume Ouellet of Victoriaville, Que., each won gold on day eight of the 2015 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics World Championships. While the colour of their medals are the same, each employed different race tactics to claim victory.
Brent Lakatos took a page out of a legendary Canadian wheelchair racers’ playbook for the wire to wire victory. “That was the scariest race I ever done! I was inspired by a strategy that Chantal Petitclerc used in Beijing in 2008, just go, open a gap and hope they can’t catch you. That’s was what I did and I was scared the whole way,” said Lakatos.
With the T53/54 4×400-metres to go, Lakatos has earned three gold medals and one silver at these championships.
Lakatos went hard from the gun, but Guillaume Ouellet took a very different approach in the T13 5000-metres final. Ouellet was content to let others set the early pace in the hot Qatari evening. “The goal was to run conservatively at the beginning and manage the attack by the Moroccans. Finally, there was none, it only came at the end and had no impact. It became a question of managing my effort until the end,” explained Ouellet.
He remained in contact with the leaders, closed hard over the last 1000-metres to pass the race leaders and cross the line first in 15:07.64. “It is incredible! A dream come true. To be World Champion, you never know if it will happen for you, and today it did. I am very, very happy,” said the Quebec native.
In the women’s T44 100-metres final Marissa Papaconstantinou of Toronto, Ont., placed eighth with a new Canadian record and personal best of 13.86 seconds. “I am happy with my performance. It was a personal best.That is what I was looking for. Hopefully in a few years I will be there on the podium,” said the sixteen year-old.
Madison Wilson-Walker of Avon, Ont., also took part in the event running 15.66 in round 1, she did not advance to the final.
Competing in the T35 100-metres final Virginia McLachlan of Windsor, Ont., placed eighth with a time of 16.34. Of the final McLachlan said, “It was ok. One of my season’s best. I would have liked to be quicker, but it is the nature of the sport. I plan on coming back stronger and faster in Rio.”
Alexandre Dupont of Clarenceville, Que., placed fourth in his semifinal of the men’s T54 800-metres and did not advance to the final.
In the men’s T53 800-metres Jean-Philippe Maranda of Ste-Aurélie, Que., crossed the line in 1:53.59 for fifth in his section, he did not advance to the final.
Full 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships Results
DAY 9 Canadian Competition Schedule | October 30
Men’s 100m T38 semi-finals | 4:40 pm Doha | 9:40 am EDT
Kyle Whitehouse
Men’s 1500m T37 FINAL | 5:25 pm Doha | 10:25 am EDT
Shayne Dobson
Men’s 1500m T38 FINAL | 5:35 pm Doha | 10:35 am EDT
Mitchell Chase
Men’s 200m T34 semi-finals | 7:00 pm Doha | 12:00 pm EDT
Nathan Dewitt
Austin Smeenk
Men’s Discus F37 FINAL | 7:04 pm Doha | 12:04 pm EDT
Kevin Strybosch
Men’s High jump T44 FINAL | 7:34 pm Doha | 12:34 pm EDT
Cody Salomons
Men’s Javelin F44 FINAL | 8:30 pm Doha | 1:30 pm EDT
Alister McQueen
Men’s 4x400m T53/54 semi-finals | 9:25 pm Doha | 2:25 pm EDT
Alexandre Dupont
Brent Lakatos
Jean-Philippe Maranda
Tristan Smyth
Visit Athletics Canada’s IPC World Championships hub page for the complete schedule, results and CBCSports.ca live stream information.
