Austin Smeenk wheelchair racer athlete exercised and tested the track at Faefid (Photo: Twin Alvarenga/UFJF)
The Canadian Paralympic delegation trained for the first time at the School of Physical Education and Sports (Faefid) on Sunday, August 28th. Their first activity happened during the morning and the second in the afternoon. Athletes from wheelchair racing, shot put, javelin and discus throw, besides the coaching staff, were at the athletics track.
The wheelchair racing team coach, Kelly Smith, talked about his first impressions of the University and its infrastructure: “Besides being very close to Rio, here we have the ideal conditions for our trainings. Also, people here have received us greatly and have helped in everything we’ve needed for our preparation. The University is fantastic, and we’re very happy here.”
Alister McQuenn in the javelin throw – one of the events that the Canadians trained on Sunday afternoon (Photo: Twin Alvarenga/UFJF)
After about two hours of training, the Canadian Paralympic athlete and a competitor in the 100 and 800 meters in the wheelchair event, Austin Smeenk, talked about Faefid’s track and weather conditions: “The track is in very good conditions for the practice. I’m enjoying a lot the opportunity of this new experience. The weather today is also very pleasant to begin this preparation.”
On this Sunday, trainings were closed to the public. Beginning on Monday, August 29th, visitors’ entrance will be allowed to follow the Paralympic preparation of Canadian athletics. The first training will take place at 9:15 a.m. and continue in the afternoon, at 15:15 p.m. The entrance is free and there is no need to register. To access the School of Physical Education and Sports, everyone must go through security scans, which forbids items that might offer a risk to the event, such as perforating or sharp objects.
Altogether, 31 of the 32 members of the Canadian delegation arrived in Juiz de Fora on Saturday 27th. They are expected to stay in Juiz de Fora until September 5th. The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games begin on September 7th, and the athletics events on the 8th.
Find out news at UFJF 2016.