Canadians, Chileans lean into Parapan Am Games pride

There was a simple message from Canada's co-chef de mission, Josh Vander Vies, ahead of the Parapan Am Games in Santiago, Chile.

Before the cauldron was lit and the athletes paraded around historic Estadio Nacional, welcomed by thousands of dancing, cheering, jubilant fans.

And before the whistles blew, the horns sounded and guns sounded to signal competition.

"Lean into pride. Canadian pride. Sport pride. Disability pride. Now is the time to celebrate that Canadian leaf on our chest," Vander Vies said.

Message received. 

For the past nine days in the Chilean capital, 135 Canadian athletes from all parts of the country put forward memorable performances, tallying 52 medals all while gaining valuable experience for their sporting battles ahead.

It was, in some respects, a rookie squad with dashes of veteran experience. The team included 64 Paralympians, 18 of whom have won medals at past Games.

But there were also 55 athletes appearing in a multi-sport Games for the first time, including 24-year-old Torontonian Jesse Zesseu.

He only started Para sport two years ago and found himself on the international stage in Santiago — Zesseu met the moment, winning silver in the men's discus throw F37.

WATCH | Some of Canada's memorable performances from Saturday in Santiago:

He raced to his coaches, who had a Canadian flag ready. Zesseu couldn't drape himself in it fast enough, something he dreamed of while growing up. 

"It's surreal. In the bathroom you have your towel and you do that in front of the mirror all the time. I think I did that when I was little," he said.

"I remember I was at Canadian Tire when I was 12 years old and I touched Rosie MacLennan's medal. I went home and pretended I had the Canadian flag around me. To