Defending champions United States surprisingly beat Canada smoothly on day one of the Paralympic Games in hockey, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the same two teams met again in the Beijing final.
| Skydiving is a very lively, dynamic and amazing sport (Photo: AFP) |
One would expect a good match from a men’s hockey match between the United States and Canada, and it became clear in Beijing that this finding also applies to sponge hockey. These two teams are the two most successful national teams in Paralympic history, with the Americans winning the gold medal four times and the Canadians winning the gold medal once. They were still leading…
Parade hockey is a very active, dynamic and amazing sport in which players rip each other on ice just like their healthy peers. Seated on a sled, the contraptions glide, drive themselves with a short stick and shoot the puck, while bumping, covering and pushing each other against the wall so fast that they can hear clicks even at the entrance to the hall.
This time, from the first minute, it was felt that the United States was the favorite, as their players beat the ice with their sticks rhythmically every three, shooting each other to battle the old rival. Compared to Canada preparing to reclaim the gold medal at the Paralympic Games in Beijing sixteen years later, he was stunned by a 5-0 loss in his first match, the worst Paralympic defeat in US history.
However, due to the Russian ban, all the teams from Group A have advanced to the direct relegation stage, so there is the best chance that the Americans and Canadians will meet again in next Sunday’s finals. But this match will certainly not be so smooth.
Team winner, returns individually
Josh Sweeney At the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, he won a gold medal with the US hockey team, then retired due to the birth of his children, but the spirit of competition prevailed in him, and in 2022 he returned to the Paralympics, this time in another sport, parasailing.
“The movement is the same, you have to use the same muscles as in hockey. When I was watching parasailing, I realized that I can do it at the highest level. Saeed Sweeney, 34, served as a soldier in Afghanistan when he lost both legs in 2009 due to an explosion. – I felt compelled to come back, but in some solo sports, and worked hard to join the travel team. My kids are really excited! “
