Canada's Smeenk advances to men's T34 800m final at worlds with record-setting performance

Canadian wheelchair racer Austin Smeenk continued his strong showing at the World Para Athletics Championships in Paris on Sunday, advancing to the men's T34 800-metre final with a record-setting performance.

The 26-year-old from Oakville, Ont., posted a time of one minute 38.10 seconds to finish second in his heat, shaving 1.33 seconds off the Americas record he set in May. Smeenk had the second-fastest time among the eight qualifiers, as Thailand's Chaiwat Rattana set a world championship record in 1:37.88.

Smeenk, a two-time Paralympian, will look to capture his third medal in Paris after claiming silver in the men's T34 100m and bronze in the T34 400m. Monday's final is scheduled for 5:40 a.m. ET.

Canada appeared to win gold in the final event of the penultimate day, but a disqualification bumped the Canadians off the 4x100m universal relay podium.

Smeenk, Bianca Borgella, Zachary Gingras and Marissa Papaconstantinou initially finished first with a time of 47.24, but it was determined upon review that Smeenk started the last leg before Gingras could complete the final exchange.

The gold medal was awarded to Japan, with Great Britain and Brazil taking bronze and silver, respectively. Each team is comprised of two women and two men from different disability groups.

"I think we just showed that Canada is fully capable of being on top of the podium in the relay," Papaconstantinou said. "Hopefully in Paris next year, we can show the world that that is where we belong."

The Canadian relay squad advanced to the final earlier in the day in national record time (48.15).

Papaconstantinou, who won bronze in the women's T64 100m on Thursday, will have another shot at a medal on Monday in the T64 200m final at 12:23 p.m. ET.

WATC