Parksville Trevor Hirschfield (front) represented Team Canada at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics in wheelchair rugby, with the team finishing 5th. (Megumi Masuda/World Wheelchair Rugby)

By Kyle Ireland

TOKYO 2020

Parksville’s Trevor Hirschfield returns home after Toyko Olympics

Sep 19, 2021 | 1:57 PM

PARKSVILLE — A fourth visit to the Paralympics was unlike any other for a local Olympian.

The Tokyo 2020 Paralympics wrapped up on Sept. 5 with Parksville’s Trevor Hirschfield competing for Team Canada in wheelchair rugby.

He told NananimoNewsNOW the games were amazing to be a part of, but they were missing something special.

“Obviously not having friends and family in the crowd was something missing. That is what some of the biggest memories come from is sharing moments with the people who support you along the way.”

Wheelchair rugby is a new sport which is designed for athletes who have some sort of impairment in three or more limbs.

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The sport is a mixture of rugby, basketball and hockey where two teams of 12 compete on a basketball court. The object is for players to have possession of the ball as both wheels of their chair cross the goal line.

Like its 15 or 13-man equivilant sport, goals scored in wheelchair rugby are referred to as “tries”.

“As far as Canada goes I’m not sure how many of our athletes actually played rugby prior. I know I did in middle school for a year but as far as other countries like the UK and New Zealand they have a lot of athletes who come from a rugby background.”

Hirschfield was injured in an automobile accident at 16 and it was during his rebab when he got introduced to the sport.

“I ended up doing my rehab at GF Strong in Vancouver and it just so happened my rec therapist there was Duncan Campbell, a co-eventer of the sport. He saw a kid who liked team sport, played hockey and football and baseball and he thought I would fit in nicely in wheelchair rugby. “

Hirschfield was the co-captain of Team Canada and they finished in 5th place.

He said the 2024 Paris games are on his horizon, but he’s pretty busy raising two children, training and coaching the provincial team.

“What you see in para-sports is a little longer careers with athletes. Athlete pools are just so small so if you’re able to stay healthy and not break down physically, I think a lot of athletes in para-sport just get better with age.”

This was the fourth Paralympics for Hirschfield.

The 37-year-old captured bronze at the Beijing 2008 games, silver at London 2012 and finished fourth at Rio 2016.

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