🏀 Team Canada Strikes Double Gold at the Youth Parapan Am Games!
Canada’s young wheelchair basketball stars made history at the 2025 Youth Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile, capturing gold in both the men’s 5×5 and women’s 3×3 tournaments.
Women’s 3×3 – GOLD 🥇
Elise Froese, Rosie Long, Kayla MacKinnon, and Mercy Nyakundi
Team Canada capped off an outstanding week with a 15–4 victory over Colombia in Wednesday’s final to claim the top spot on the podium.
The squad completed a perfect 7–0 run, averaging 15 points per game while holding opponents to just 2.2 points per contest — a dominant performance from start to finish.
“We came into the game off a great warm-up and ready to execute the plan,” said Elise Froese. “From the start, we were hard on chairs and communicated with intention. I loved getting to play with this group of girls all week, and I am proud of our performance from the start.”
The gold marks a historic achievement for Canada, improving on the silver-medal finish from the 2013 Youth Parapan American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Men’s 5×5 – GOLD 🥇
Dylan Cannan, Nasif Chowdhury, Cameron Gelowitz, Brandon Louie, Simon Mazi-Keep, Thai Milton, Ibrahim Odza, Bernard Rosello, Jeffer Ward, and Judah Websdale
The men’s team battled through a tough field, closing out round-robin play with a 51–42 come-from-behind victory over Argentina before powering through to capture gold.
Ibrahim Odza led the way with 17 points, seven assists, and six rebounds, while Brandon Louie added a strong double-double performance of 15 points and 10 rebounds. The team’s grit, defensive intensity, and balanced scoring carried them to the top of the podium.
Both teams demonstrated incredible teamwork, resilience, and composure — showing the world that the future of Canadian wheelchair basketball is brighter than ever.
Congratulations to all athletes, coaches, and staff on this phenomenal achievement!