Canada’s wheelchair rugby team captures gold at Quad Nations with win over Paralympic champ Great Britain | CBC Sports

Canada’s wheelchair rugby team completed an undefeated run at the 2022 Quad Nations tournament on Sunday with a 54-52 win in double overtime over Great Britain — the reigning Paralympic champion.

Canada’s 12-man roster claimed the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Trophy after going 5-0 in the four-nation tournament at the Sport Wales National Centre in Cardiff, Wales.

Sunday’s final was a back-and-forth battle that saw the teams tied at 24 points apiece entering the second half. They remained deadlocked at 45-45 at the end of regulation and 49-49 after the first overtime period.

Zak Madell of Okotoks, Alta., scored the decisive point to give Canada a 53-52 lead with 44 seconds left in the second overtime.

The Canadians forced a turnover on the ensuing inbound pass, and Madell completed a pass in the final seconds to Parksville, B.C., native Trevor Hirschfield for the final point, securing the gold medal.

The matchup was a potential preview for the upcoming 2022 IWRF World Championship in October, where both squads could meet again on their quest for gold. The tournament will take place Oct. 10-16 in Vejle, Denmark.

“That’s a great fight the team put out there tonight,” Canadian head coach Patrick Côté said. “Every time we gave something, we got it back, and it felt like we were in control the whole time. We had opportunities to close this at the end of regulation and again in the first overtime, but I guess the guys wanted to play a bit longer.

“Our resilience and confidence brought this one home. We need to keep the goods and learn from the few mistakes we made. I think it’s a great stepping stone toward Worlds in less than a month.”

European Champion France captured the bronze medal earlier in the day with a 56-50 win over the Germans.