Canada’s young Para athletes are returning from the Chile 2025 Youth Parapan American Games with 14 medals.
The Games, which ran from October 31 to November 9, saw 35 Canadian athletes compete in five sports, with podiums secured in each one: Para swimming (8 medals), wheelchair basketball (2), goalball (2), boccia (1), and Para table tennis (1). A total of 32 athletes won a medal, with all 35 making the medal rounds in their respective sports.
Alyssa Smyth (Para swimming) and Andrew Woodrow (boccia) were Canada’s Closing Ceremony flag bearers.
Smyth, age 15, was Canada’s winningest athlete at the Games, capturing four gold medals in the pool. Eighteen-year-old Woodrow earned Canada’s boccia podium with a silver in the BC4 individuals.
CHILE 2025 CANADIAN YOUTH PARAPAN AM TEAM MEDALLISTS:
GOLD – Elise Froese, Rosie Long, Kayla MacKinnon, Mercy Nyakundi – Women’s 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball
GOLD – Dylan Cannan, Nasif Chowdhury, Cameron Gelowitz, Brandon Louie, Simon Mazi-Keep, Thai Milton, Ibrahim Odza, Bernard Rosello, Jeffer Ward, Judah Websdale – Men’s 5×5 Wheelchair Basketball
GOLD – Alyssa Smyth – Para Swimming, Junior Women’s 100m Freestyle Multi-Class
GOLD – Alyssa Smyth – Para Swimming, Junior Women’s 100m Breaststroke Multi-Class
GOLD – Alyssa Smyth – Para Swimming, Junior Women’s 50m Freestyle, Multi-Class
GOLD – Alyssa Smyth – Para Swimming, Junior Women’s 100m Butterfly Multi-Class
GOLD – Veronica MacLellan, Para Swimming, Junior Women’s 100m Backstroke Multi-Class
SILVER – Yehati Antone, Arianna Balson, Elena Hung, Lily-Anna King, Cassandra Ruttle, Sadie Trant – Women’s Goalball
SILVER – Roy Pan – Para Swimming, Senior Men’s 50m Butterfly Multi-Class
SILVER – Andrew Woodrow, Boccia, Men’s BC4 Individual
BRONZE – Thulir Hector – Para Table Tennis, Women’s Class 8-10 Singles
BRONZE – Will Campbell, Hayden Den Ouden, Samuel Devries, Caden Johnson, Harry Nickerson, Merrick Smith – Men’s Goalball
BRONZE – Lucas Van Herk – Para Swimming, Senior Men’s 200m Freestyle Multi-Class
BRONZE – Veronica MacLellan – Para Swimming, Junior Women’s 50m Freestyle, Multi-Class
“We are so proud of each and every athlete for their performances at the Games,” said Catherine Gosselin-Despres, Chief Sport Officer, Canadian Paralympic Committee. “It has been such an exciting week of competition watching the entire team proudly represent Canada on the international stage, and we have seen so many incredible results. We have a bright future ahead for Para sport in Canada, and we can’t wait to continue following and supporting each athlete’s journey.”
Canada’s Opening Ceremony flag bearers both captured medals in their respective events – Elise Froese winning gold in the women’s 3×3 wheelchair basketball tournament and Harry Nickerson claiming bronze alongside the men’s goalball team.
At 14 years old, Thulir Hector was Canada’s youngest medallist. She won Para table tennis bronze for the nation’s first medal of the Games.
In addition to the strong results on the field of play, Chile 2025 was an important event for classification, with several athletes classified at the Games for the first time and receiving their eligibility for international competition.
This was the sixth edition of the Youth Parapan Am Games, with more than 1,500 athletes between the ages of 14 and 21 from over 30 countries in attendance. Canada competed for the first time since 2017.
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