SANTIAGO, Chile — Para cyclist Shelley Gautier and wheelchair tennis player Rob Shaw have been named Canada's flag-bearers for the opening ceremony of the Santiago Parapan Am Games.
Gautier, from Niagara Falls, Ont., is an 18-time world champion. She won two bronze medals in both the T1 road race and time trial at the cycling world championships this summer.
This will be her third Parapan Am Games, after Guadalajara 2011 and Toronto 2015. She holds two Parapan Am silver medals. The 55-year-old is a three-time Paralympian (2012, 2016, 2020) with a bronze medal from Rio 2016.
“I am very happy to lead Team Canada into competition in Chile,” Gautier said in a release. “As flag-bearer, I will try to make the podium again and will encourage and inspire everyone on the Canadian team to do well and enjoy being at the Games.”
Shaw, the world No. 9 in the singles quad division, is the defending Parapan Am gold medallist after winning the title at the Lima Games four years ago.
The 33-year-old, who now lives in Kelowna, B.C., was the first Canadian tennis player — standing or wheelchair — to win a medal in singles at a multi-sport Games.
He owns 22 International Tennis Federation singles and 22 ITF doubles titles in his career, and made his Paralympic Games debut at Tokyo 2020.
“Still in a bit of shock after finding out I would be one of Canada’s flag bearers,” Shaw said. “It’s one of the greatest honours an athlete can be given and something you never think will happen to you. I can’t wait to mingle with all the incredible athletes, support them in their disciplines, and lead them into that arena as one unified team.
"It’s going to be an unforgettable experience.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2023.
The Canadian Press
