Austin Smeenk lets out a big smile and pumps his fist.
Smeenk, the two-time Paralympic wheelchair racer, had just learned that Canadian Paralympians would now receive money for each medal won at this summer’s Paris Games and beyond.
“That is incredible. … That’s amazing. I feel awesome. I feel like that is right and it’s incredible how far we’ve come,” Smeenk told CBC Sports.
On Wednesday, the Canadian Paralympic Committee announced it was receiving an endowment of $8 million, funded equally by private donor Sanjay Malaviya and the federal government.
The money will be used to pay Canadian Paralympians $20,000 for gold medals, $15,000
