Canadian men's wheelchair basketball centre Patrick Anderson said his team is going towards "hat trick" of Paralymic golds as the reigning champion extended winning streak to six at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games on Saturday.
Canada maintained their undefeated record by beating Israel 55-47 and advanced to the semifinals Saturday at the National Indoor Stadium.
Anderson led the game in scoring with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
"There is not a lot of pressure on us," said Anderson. "Other teams feel it, because maybe their window is closing."
A powerhouse during the last decade, the Canadian wheelchair basketball team have won the gold medal in the Sydney 2000 Paralympics, the Athens 2004 Paralympics and the 2006 World Cup.
"A third one would be gravy," Anderson said. "I'd like to see some of the rookies on the team get a gold medal."
Nervousness about the Games has worn off, Anderson said, as the Canadian team has been training intensely in China for two weeks prior to the Paralympics.
"They (the coaches) beat the nerves out of us," Anderson said.
Now in his third Paralympics, Anderson's role on the Canadian team has changed from past competitions.
"I was a bit more of an emotional leader in the past. The dynamic of the team has changed. Teams tend to begin to tune out the same voice over time."
For Anderson, it would be difficult for the Canadians to be satisfied with anything less than a gold medal at the Beijing Paralympics.
"I feel like we've proven we are a championship team in the past," he said.
For next game against the United States in semifinals, Anderson puts it as a decisive step atop the podium.
"The U.S. team have beat us the last three times we've played them, so it's important for us to win in semifinal."
Canada is the only team of all 12 winning all games by now. 12 teams are grouped into two pools and top four in each pool move on to the quarterfinals for medals competition.
(Xinhua News Agency September 13, 2008)