Liam Hickey aims for ‘the ultimate goal’ at Paralympics in Italy

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Liam Hickey says he has dreams of winning a Paralympic gold medal, and he has another opportunity with Canada’s Para ice hockey team at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Italy.

“We’re looking to to capture the ultimate goal this this time around,” Hickey told CBC Radio’s On The Go.

Hickey isn’t a stranger to global sporting events, having previously competed in both the winter and summer Paralympic Games for Canada, winning silver in Pyeongchang in 2018, and again in 2022 in Beijing, on top of a some golds and silvers at world championships.

Team Canada’s first Para ice hockey game is against Slovakia on March 7.

“We’re very confident in the group and I’m looking forward to getting started,” he said.

A tense rivalry is also shaping up, after Canada came second to the United States at the World Para Ice Hockey Championship in June.

“We’re looking to kind of reclaim that title as number one in the world,” Hickey said. “We’re extremely motivated to, kind of, win that for the country.”

But the pressure is building.

“Time doesn’t wait for anybody,” he said. “You look at where you’re at in your career and the pressure, kind of, only builds when when you haven’t been able to achieve something that you’ve dreamt of your whole life.”

To win that elusive gold medal, Hickey said he’s staying in the moment and focusing on the preparation it took with the team to get there.

But beyond the games, Hickey said he is looking forward to representing where he comes from on the big stage.

“Having the opportunity to to represent my country, and Newfoundland and Labrador as a whole, is something that I never take lightly,” he said.

“It’s probably the greatest honor I’ve had in my life.”

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