Austin Smeenk rang the bell with gusto.

The Canadian wheelchair racer won the mensa国际传媒檚 T51 800 metres Saturday at the Paralympic Games in Paris.

Track and field victors at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games rang a bell engraved with sa国际传媒淧aris 2024sa国际传媒� at Stade de France.

The bell will be installed in a tower at Notre Dame Cathedral when the iconic edifice is restored from a 2019 fire.

Smeenk coveted the rite after watching other Canadian athletes grab the rope for a satisfying clang.

sa国际传媒淔antastic,sa国际传媒� the 27-year-old from Oakville, Ont., declared.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檝e been looking forward to doing that since Ethan Katzberg and Camryn Rogers did it about a month ago.sa国际传媒�

Katzberg and Rogers won hammer throw gold at the Olympic Games.

Smeenk produced Canadasa国际传媒檚 fifth Paralympic gold and eighth medal in track and field.

Victoriasa国际传媒檚 Cody Fournie won a pair of sprint gold medals in T51 wheelchair racing and Brent Lakatos of Dorval., was a victor in the T53 800.

Greg Stewart of Kamloops, B.C., defended his title in mensa国际传媒檚 F37 shot put.

Long jumper Noah Vucsics and defending 1,500-metre champion Nate Reich were still to compete in Saturday eveningsa国际传媒檚 track and field finale.

Smeenk set world records in both the 400 and 800 metres earlier this year, and followed up with the first Paralympic gold of his career.

Hesa国际传媒檚 a double medallist in Paris with a bronze in the 100 metres. The 400 wasnsa国际传媒檛 on the program.

The Canadian built a solid lead early in the 800 and began to pull away on the home stretch.

Smeenk threw his arms in the air before the finish line and beat the surging Chaiwat Rattana of Thailand by two-tenths of a second.

sa国际传媒淒onsa国际传媒檛 do that, other people and other athletes,sa国际传媒� Smeenk said. sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檓 sure the coaches will appreciate me saying that. I was ultra-confident that I had everybody beat, so thatsa国际传媒檚 where that came from.

sa国际传媒淧ride comes before the fall and that could have been a real risky move. Donsa国际传媒檛 take risks that are unnecessary, especially at the Paralympic Games. Luckily I was on the winning side of that gamble.sa国际传媒�

His fianc茅e Celine Trapnell was among over a dozen family members and friends at the stadium to cheer on Smeenk in his third Paralympic Games.

Smeenk was born with spastic paraplegia, which is a hereditary disease causing progressive stiffness and contraction in the lower limbs.

His power and efficiency gave him a slower arm turnover than many of his competitors in the final.

sa国际传媒淚sa国际传媒檝e actually been in a racing chair for 20 years. Itsa国际传媒檚 been an evolution of technique and, if yousa国际传媒檙e going to be something, you might as well be efficient,sa国际传媒� he stated.

sa国际传媒淟earning to get top speed without doing top frequency has been an absolute development thatsa国际传媒檚 been crucial to success in the longer distance races.sa国际传媒�

The electromechanical engineering technology student at Fanshawe College in London, Ont., put those studies on hold to relocate to Victoria in 2022 and train at Athletics Canadasa国际传媒檚 West Hub with other Olympians and Paralympians.

Smeenk put his studies to work, however, as part of a team that designed his racing chair.

sa国际传媒淟earning to think scientifically has been crucial in refining my racing chair to the level that itsa国际传媒檚 the lightest racing chair of all my competitors as well as one of the best racing chairs, I believe, at the Paralympics this year,sa国际传媒� he said.

sa国际传媒淪marter every day with the things that Isa国际传媒檝e learned and applied that to the world of wheelchair racing as best I can.sa国际传媒�

As for how much difference the chair made in winning gold, Smeenk said: sa国际传媒淚s it the hockey stick or is the athlete? Is it the golf club or the person swinging it?sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淚t all comes together and to put any specific fraction or percentage on that is near impossible,sa国际传媒� he continued. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 the culmination of doing the work physically as well as getting the racing chair to the best it can be.

sa国际传媒淭he sum of those two have led to the confidence Isa国际传媒檝e had today to go and race to the best level I can.sa国际传媒�

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 7, 2024.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press