From Santiago to Paris, Canadian Para athletes set the table for a successful 2024

Call 2023 an appetizer.

The past year provided some great moments for Canadian Para athletes — many of which only served to ignite even more excitement about the main course that is 2024, when the Paralympics head to Paris.

Perhaps no event set the table for the Paralympics more than the Parapan Am Games, which recently wrapped in Santiago, Chile.

Crowds of enthusiastic fans from the tennis court to the goalball arena and the pool gave a glimpse of the excitement some expect in Paris, which has been hyped in certain circles as the most celebratory Paralympics since London 2012.

WATCH | CBC Sports' Rob Pizzo takes you through the year's marquee moments:

Of course, Canadian athletes made their mark in South America as well. You just have to think back to the scene after Canada's women's goalball team beat the Americans in a tense final. Teammates joyfully piled on veteran Amy Burk, a gold medal and Paralympic ticket in hand.

Rob Shaw earned silver in a thrilling final against a Chilean opponent with the entire crowd against him, and both showed immense sportsmanship with their greeting at the net after the final point was won.

And Kyle Tremblay booked his spot in Paris with bronze in an archery event.

WATCH | Canada wins goalball gold at Parapan Am Games:

In July, we were treated to a more direct Paralympic preview when the Para athletics worlds took place at Charlèty Stadium — about 20 kilometres south of Stade de France, where Paralympic track-and-field events will be contested.

Canadians collected 14 medals at worlds — including a pair golds courtesy of Brent Lakatos and Nate Riech, two athletes who seemed poised to snatch more hardware.

Lakatos, 43, already holds 10 Paralympic medals, though just one is a gold.