North Bay wheelchair tennis player heading to Paralympics
It’s been a long journey for Robert Shaw, but come Aug. 28, he will be representing Canada at his first Paralympics in Tokyo.
Born and raised in North Bay, the 31-year-old suffered a spinal injury in a diving accident 10 years ago, leaving him in a wheelchair.
Shaw hasn’t let his injury stop him from playing tennis. He took up wheelchair tennis as a coach before his injury, and now he’s a professional player.
“I had a diving accident in my own family pool that caused me to have a spinal cord injury -- I have a C5, C6 level, which is why I have paralysis in my arms and my hands, as well as in my legs and my core,” said Shaw.
“I compete in the quad divisions, meaning I have impairment to at least three or four limbs.”
Shaw isn’t ranked amongst the top four players heading into the games, but after winning gold at the 2019 Para Pan American Games in Peru, he told CTV News he has what it takes to medal in Tokyo.
“I have beaten the world No. 2, world No. 4, 5 and 6, so there’s no reason why I can’t compete there with the top guys -- there’s no reason why I can’t medal,” he said.
“I’ll have to perform extremely well, as everyone has to do at the Olympics and Paralympics.”
The games were originally supposed to happen last summer, but due to COVID-19, things were put on hold until 2021. Now with less than a month until opening ceremonies, Shaw is excited to get going.
“I’m super excited -- it’s my first Paralympic Games," he said. "I competed in Lima in 2019, so that was my first multi-sport Games, but this is on a whole other level. So, super excited to get over there and put into competition what we do in training.”
“We feel ready, we’re pretty anxious as a team to get there and just try to compete and play well. There’s a lot of logistical headaches that are incorporated into these Paralympics because of COVID,” added Shaw.
Growing up, Shaw coached and played at the local tennis club in North Bay.
CTV News spoke with a friend and former colleague of Shaw’s who said the tennis club and city is rooting for him.
“I think he knows that everyone is rooting for him -- not just at the club, but he has family connections through the whole city,” said Bobby Ray.
“So maybe more than he knows, there are people thinking about him and looking forward to cheering him on.”
If it weren’t for tennis in North Bay, Shaw says he doesn’t know where the game would’ve taken him.
“I never really trained anywhere else," he said. "Never really competed anywhere else other than northern Ontario so, all the skills I have now, the foundation was built through being a player in North Bay, which is kinda cool.”
Shaw is set to leave for Tokyo the third week of August. Once arriving he has a week of training before his first match Aug. 28.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Spanish prosecutors recommend 2nd investigation into Shakira's taxes be thrown out
Spanish state prosecutors recommended Wednesday that an investigating judge shelve a probe into another alleged case of tax fraud by pop star Shakira.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.