Australia and Canada name athletes for Rio 2016

The Australian rowing team and the Canadian women’s sitting volleyball team for September’s Paralympic Games have been announced. 11 Jul 2016
Imagen
Erik Horrie competes at the 2015 World Rowing Championships is held in Aiguebelette, France.

Erik Horrie competes at the 2015 World Rowing Championships is held in Aiguebelette, France.

ⒸIgor Meijer
By Australian Paralympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee

With the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games fast approaching, Australia’s rowing team and Canada’s women’s sitting volleyball team have been announced.

London 2012 silver medallist Erik Horrie, along with three-time trunk and arms mixed double sculls world champions Kathryn Ross and Gavin Bellis, will spearhead Australia’s Paralympic rowing delegation.

Paralympic debutants Jeremy McGrath, Kathleen Murdoch, Brock Ingram, Davinia Lefroy and Josephine Burnand (coxswain) will become the first Australians to compete in the legs, trunk and arms mixed coxed four at a Paralympic Games.

“It is pretty exciting and very daunting to be selected for my third Games. Everyone has been different so far but I am looking forward to seeing what Rio brings,” said Ross, who won Australia’s first Paralympic rowing medal, silver at Beijing 2008.

“My sole aim is to take home that gold medal. We missed it by 0.8 of a second [at London 2012], so it would be incredible to finish off the four year cycle with four gold medals.”

Bellis is also confident on what the duo can achieve at Rio 2016.

“Everyone goes into win gold, and I am no different,” he said.

“I am looking forward to seeing where we stand and how we fare against the world at the pinnacle of Paralympic sport. It is an exciting challenge.”

Horrie is training harder to climb onto the podium in Rio.

“To be able to say I am a two-time Paralympian when I return is unbelievable,” he said.

“The competition will be strong, but I am looking forward to seeing all the work I have done in the last four years and culminate into hopefully another Paralympic medal.”

For the first time Canada has qualified a sitting volleyball team to a Paralympic Games, with the women’s team set to compete at Rio 2016.

The Canadian 12-member squad, led by head coach Nicole Ban, has nine returning members from the team that won bronze at the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games, which earned them a spot at this year’s Paralympics.

"These players have shown terrific dedication to become our first Canadian sitting volleyball team to compete at the Paralympic Games,’’ said Team Canada’s Chef de Mission Chantal Petitclerc.

The returning team members are Chantal Beauchesne, Angelena Dolezar, Katelyn Wright, Shacarra Orr, Heidi Peters, Tessa Popoff, Amber Skyrpan, Felicia Voss-Shafiq and Jolan Wong.

The newcomers to the team are Danielle Ellis, Leanne Muldrew and Jennifer Oakes.

Australia rowing team

Kathryn Ross

Gavin Bellis

Erik Horrie

Jeremy McGrath

Kathleen Murdoch

Brock Ingram

Davinia Lefroy

Josephine Burnand

Canada sitting volleyball team

Chantal Beauchesne

Angelena Dolezar

Danielle Ellis

Leanne Muldrew

Jennifer Oakes

Shacarra Orr

Heidi Peters

Tessa Popoff

Amber Skyrpan

Felicia Voss-Shafiq

Jolan Wong

Katelyn Wright

Information about Australia’s rowing team is available online.

Information about Canada’s sitting volleyball team can be found online.

__

Sport fans from around the world can now buy their Paralympic tickets for Rio 2016 from authorised ticket resellers (ATRs).

The IPC’s Global ATR is Jet Set Sports, and Rio 2016 tickets and packages can be purchased on the CoSport website.

Residents of Brazil can buy 2016 Paralympics tickets directly from the Rio 2016 website.

Visa International is the exclusive payment card and the official payment system for the Paralympic Games.