(Paris) It had been less than a minute since Anthony Létourneau entered the field at the Champ-de-Mars Arena, in this first classification match of the Canadian wheelchair rugby team. The Quebecer found the opening in the Danish defense and scored with 6 tenths of a second left in the first quarter.
It’s not uncommon to see Létourneau make such a quick impact for Team Canada. His energy is felt as soon as he enters the game, both on the field and in the stands. That’s the first thing head coach Patrick Côté and star player Zak Madell said about him.
And how does Anthony describe his role in Paris for his second Paralympic Games? “I think I’m here to bring a lot of energy.”
Another element that catches the eye is his understanding of the game. His ability to be one step ahead of all the other players.
“We’re always one big contact away from changing the pace of a game and Anthony can bring that. He’s also an extremely cerebral player. Tactically, Tony is one of the best in the world. He sees the game and what’s going to happen well before it happens,” said Patrick Côté after his team’s 56-46 victory over Denmark.
Anthony Letourneau had a great run in the second quarter of this game. He scored six tries and delivered brilliant passes to his teammate Zak Madell, with whom he forms a formidable pair. With the help of Cody Caldwell, they put Canada up by six points after two periods.
“I love having Anthony as a teammate. He’s a beast on the field, he goes everywhere, hits everything that moves and really motivates the team!”
PHOTO RULA ROUHANA, REUTERS
Anthony Létourneau’s energy is felt as soon as he enters the game, on the field and in the stands.
Canadian player Zak Madell
“The chemistry is there! We’re also good friends off the field, so that helps a lot. Tony brings a lot of intensity, it makes it difficult for opponents and it makes our team’s job easier. He’s also there for us off the field and makes sure everyone is okay. You can’t ask for a better teammate.”
“I always give everything I have. I don’t know if I have other roles, but that sums up what I do and people seem very happy with that,” summarized Anthony Létourneau, with a wry smile, which corresponds to the deadpan description that Patrick Côté gave about the only Quebecer in his group.
With a comfortable lead, the 28-year-old only returned to the game in the fourth quarter, against a Danish team that had its hands full. The Canadians won easily and will play for fifth place on Monday. A victory would allow them to match their result from the Tokyo Paralympics. Their opponents are still to be determined between Germany and France.
“We executed on offense, which is what we’ve been lacking since the start of this tournament. We played at our level on offense and our defense continued to create opportunities,” summarized the head coach.
Anthony Létourneau finished the game with 7 tries in less than 9 minutes of play. Zak Madell was the top Canadian scorer with 27 tries.
PHOTO ANGELA BURGER, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Zak Madell (right)
A frustrating format
The Canadian team now has a record of 2 wins and 2 losses in Paris. It was part of a tough group in this Paralympic tournament, whose format was not unanimously appreciated. Its two losses came against the Americans and the Japanese, respectively second and third in the world rankings.
Without the quarter-finals, the Canadian players had to draw a line under a possible medal as soon as the preliminary phase was completed.
“Even though we might be the third best team in the world, we won’t have the chance to play a playoff game. It’s really too bad,” said Anthony Létourneau, who struggled to pull himself together after the loss to Japan. Less than 24 hours later, he and his teammates were back to face Denmark.
The Boisbriand athlete would like to see quarter-finals played in the future, as is the case in wheelchair basketball. A tournament presented over more days would also be welcome in order to allow for better recovery. In rugby, the teams were not allowed any days off.
“We needed a mental reset on Saturday night. It’s very difficult to come back to 100% so quickly when you know you’re out of the medal round. It doesn’t make sense and, in a contact sport, it increases the risk of getting injured. I’d like to see that change, but I’m not the one making the decisions here.”
Morale was low in the Canadian camp after the match against Japan. The team finally met in the morning to determine its approach ahead of the duel against Denmark.
“Everyone was disappointed last night. Unfortunately, we’ve been in this situation a lot lately,” said Patrick Côté. “The question is always who do we want to be for the last few days of the tournament. Do we pack our bags and go home, or do we represent our values? We decided as a team that we were going to represent our values and work hard. Guess what? It worked.”