Just days after winning Canada’s first gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in para athletics, Victoria’s Cody Fournie found himself back atop the podium on Friday night. Fournie won his second gold of the Games in the men’s T51 100m, setting a new Paralympic record of 19.63 seconds.
TWICE AS NICE FOR CODY! 🥇🥇
Cody Fournie smashes the field to win his second Gold Medal of @Paris2024, winning the Men’s 100m T51 in a Paralympic record!#GreatnessMovesUs #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/0rsiZAb653
— Canadian Paralympic Team (@CDNParalympics) September 6, 2024
This victory not only marked Fournie’s second gold, but also set a new Canadian T51 record. His achievement brought Canada’s para athletics medal tally to seven, including four golds.
Earlier in the week, the 35-year-old athlete clinched gold in the T51 men’s 200m, crossing the line in a personal best of 37.64 seconds.
Fournie’s path to becoming a Canadian Paralympic star isn’t a surprise. He has been a competitive wheelchair athlete most of his life, competing for the Canadian national para rugby team before transitioning to wheelchair racing during the pandemic. He decided to switch to para athletics after a turning point in his rugby career left him uncertain about his future. With guidance from former Canadian Olympian Geoff Harris, Fournie has embraced wheelchair racing, and the decision has paid off with his Paralympic gold medal count rising to two.
This was Cody Fournie’s first ever Paralympic race — and he took home the #Gold for 🇨🇦
Congratulations, Cody! 🥇
pic.twitter.com/ch00nO5vQd— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) September 3, 2024
Earlier this year, Fournie won a silver medal in the T51 100m at the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan. The T51 classification includes athletes with various disabilities, including spinal cord injuries and cerebral palsy. Fournie became a quadriplegic following an accident at age 11.
The Paralympic Games will continue until Sunday, Sept. 8.
