| GOLD for Canada at the 2015 ParaPan American Games |
Stephanie Chan is the 2015 ParaPan American Games Champion in the Women's Class 6/7 Singles Competition. 4 wins brought her the GOLD medal, what gives her a ticket to compete at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, Brazil. With not loosing a single set, she dominated the competition, not giving anyone else a chance to take her title.
Canada was watching this final match of the Women's Class 6/7 competition. The stands where filled with supporters cheering for our Canadian ParaPan Am Gold Medalist.
To make this an even better day, Ian Kent won the Bronze Medal in the Men’s Single Class 8 category. Congratulations to Team Canada with two medals on home soil.
Stephanie was very emotional after the games and said:
How does it feel to win the Games?
I'm really happy because I get to win this medal in Canada. I also have a lot of support from friends, but this has been a dream after 4 years of hard work so I'm really happy.
Did you expect it?
Since I had competed against some of my opponents in May, I knew i had a chance to compete against them here. After working on my techniques and being relax while I competed, I was very confident in winning the competition.
Do you realize that you are on your way to Rio?
I knew very early on so I have been planning for this competition. My first Para Pan Am was in Brazil, so I'm really happy to be able to compete in the Paralympic Games in Brazil. Next year's Paralympics may also be my last competition because I want to start coaching the elderly and people with a disability so more people can play table tennis.
Anything you have to share with your fans, supporters or family?
I want to thank my family and friends for their support for since I set a goal in 2007 to compete in the Paralympic Games within 10 years and my table tennis friends have trained with me and given a lot of encouragement. I'm also very thankful for my younger sister for her financial support as there is not a lot of funding for national team members to train and compete and I'm very thankful for her support. I would also like to thank the Taiwanese Canadian Cultural Society for providing a space for me to park my car and train each day for 2-3 hours.
Coach John MacPherson: "I am so proud of her. Before the game I told Stephanie to be relaxed and as in many individual sports, she has to keep her mind quiet for this match. It is incredible to coach to of our Medal Winners on home soil. This is also a qualifier for Rio, so this is huge. It is a very big deal to represent your country at the Paralympic Games next year."
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