PARIS - The experience might have been different for Midale's Keely Shaw, but one end result was the same: she's coming home from a Paralympic Games with a bronze medal.
Representing Canada at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, Shaw won bronze in the Para cycling C4 3,000 metres race on Aug. 30. She won bronze at the same race three years ago in Tokyo.
Shaw beat Samantha Bosco of the U.S. by 1.6 seconds in the head-to-head bronze-medal race with a time of three minutes and 46.942 seconds. She had a lead of 2.099 seconds at one point late in the race.
"I came here hoping to improve my performances from Tokyo, which I didn't do, so that's a little bit of a disappointment, but coming back with another medal is obviously pretty special. I can't complain too much on that front," Shaw said in an interview with SaskToday.
During the qualifying round, Shaw posted a time that was nearly three seconds better than her previous personal best, and then she posted a similar time in the bronze race.
The racers with the two best times in the qualifying round advance to the gold-medal race, and those with the third and fourth-best times race for bronze.
"There were ups and downs, of course," she said. "Any sporting event you always want more. That's kind of what makes us elite athletes. But the girl I beat in the bronze medal final, she's bested me in the last couple of competitions, at the world championships in March and at the Pan-Am Games last November, so it was nice to get a little bit of retribution there," said Shaw.
She didn't know she had a large lead in the final.
"You're going so hard that you're maintaining just enough lucidity to not fall off the bike. So, I had no idea where the other person was on the bike. I just knew what I had to do and did it," said Shaw.
She finished fifth in the time trial race on Sept. 4, completing the 14.1-kilometre circuit in a time of 22 minutes and 9.19 seconds, only 29.95 seconds behind the gold medallist. Shaw admits she was disappointed with the result and has been mulling it over since the race.
"If I could go back in time, that would be the one thing I would do is I would redo that race. I had a really good second half of the race, but the first third of the race, I was a little bit too conservative in that this is a shorter race than I'm used to."
She thought she kept a little too much in reserve for the end, and it showed on the result sheet.
Shaw wrapped up the Games on Sept. 6 by finishing 15th in the road race with a time of two hours and 9.28 seconds for the 71-kilometre distance. It's not her strongest event, and she came in with a goal of not crashing.
"Obviously I don't want my Paralympic Games to end on a negative note like that. So, mission accomplished. I didn't crash. I finished the race, got to ride in France, which doesn't suck," said Shaw.
The experience was completely different this time. When she was in Tokyo three years ago, COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were still in effect. Athletes stayed in satellite villages and fans weren't allowed in the stands. It was still the Paralympics, but she said it wasn't nearly the same.
In Paris, the velodrome facility was sold out months in advance. They met athletes from other sports. The outdoor circuit was lined with people, and people were playing trumpets and banging on signs.
"The crowd there definitely made it an extra-special experience, and that's not to say that Tokyo wasn't special, but when you get to share it with the world like we were here in Paris, that's pretty cool."
The crowd provided her with some extra energy during the competition.
"It's an honour and a privilege to be able to showcase our sport on the biggest stage, to be able to showcase it for that many people in person, so that they get a true idea about what we do and how fast we're truly going. It definitely urges you to get just that little bit faster, and try to find that extra gear," she said.
The Olympic village was an incredible place, with amenities like a post office, a grocery store, a souvenir shop and more. All of the different countries have decked-out national houses. Shaw had the chance to explore them between the road race and the closing ceremonies on Sept. 8.
One thing that didn't change between Tokyo and Paris was the support from people in Midale and elsewhere in southeast Saskatchewan.
"Anyone that grew up in Saskatchewan as a whole, especially small-town Saskatchewan, knows that the support we get from back home is second to none," said Shaw.
One person from Yellow Grass who coached her during her youth hockey days purchased a seat to support the Canadian Paralympic athletes that said "Go Keely!"
"These people were a huge part of my life growing up – but that I haven't seen in 15 years – they're still thinking of me, they're still cheering for me. Getting notes from all corners of the province, whether it's Saskatoon where I currently am, or back home in Midale, the surrounding areas, it brings pride in that it makes you realize that I'm the one on the bike, but it's more than me. You've got a whole province rallying behind you."
She was looking forward to spending the last couple of days in Paris and then returning home to Saskatchewan to share the medal with family and friends. Shaw said she would reflect on the experience, and enjoy exercising and riding her bike for fun.
