Paralympic triathlon in Paris was a mix of joy and pain for Canadians when races finally did get underway.

Winnipeg鈥檚 Leanne Taylor became the first Canadian woman to win a Paralympic triathlon medal with a bronze in the women鈥檚 class Monday.

Calgary鈥檚 Stefan Daniel was leading his men鈥檚 race when he crashed his bike into a barricade and was knocked out of contention.

The veteran won silver when para triathlon made its Paralympic debut in Rio in 2016, and was a bronze medallist three years ago in Tokyo.

The five-time world champion, who was born with club hands, is ranked world No.1 in his PTS5 classification.

After a schedule shuffle and then delays because of the Seine River鈥檚 water quality, races in 11 different classes got underway 鈥� with multiple classes on course simultaneously 鈥� at the ornate Pont Alexandre bridge.

Para triathlon is a 750-metre swim, 20-kilometre bike and 5k run.

Taylor pumps a handcycle during the bike leg. Her run is a wheelchair race.

The 32-year-old stepped onto the podium six years after she was paralyzed from the waist down in a mountain biking accident.

鈥淐oming to the Games was always the goal I set for myself in the hospital when I was injured six years ago,鈥� Taylor said.

鈥淏eing here felt like the big deal, what we were aiming for. In the last year, it started to look like it was possible for me to be on the podium.鈥�

With eventual winner Lauren Parker of Australia and silver medallist Kendall Gretsch of the United States well out front, Taylor girded herself to hunt down Brazil鈥檚 Jessica Ferreira for a medal after the transition to the wheelchair race.

But Ferreira鈥檚 crash after the transition to the wheelchair race put Taylor in medal position.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an absolute heartbreak to see that the Brazilian crashed,鈥� Taylor said.

鈥淭he sad thing is that鈥檚 triathlon. She and I have both given medals in some ways to each other by making a mistake or having a crash. This has sort of happened back and forth.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the things about triathlon and why you have to keep fighting on even if you鈥檙e not in the place you expect to be. You never know what鈥檚 going to happen. It worked in my favour this time and maybe not next.鈥�

Fortune did not favour Daniel.

Fifth after his Seine swim, Daniel had charged to the front with just over 5k remaining on the bike when he misjudged a hairpin turn and flew into the barricades.

The 27-year-old continued to race once he knew his bike was still operational, but his bid for another Paralympic medal was over.

Daniel鈥檚 face crumpled as he near the finished line.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 get to go to too many Paralympics in a lifetime,鈥� the Canadian said. 鈥淚鈥檝e always held the strong belief if you鈥檙e physically able to finish a race, you do it. No matter what.鈥�

He was composed after he was treated for scrapes in the medical tent.

鈥淩ight before the last lap, I went too fast into a U-turn and just went into the barricades,鈥� Daniel said. 鈥淚 just miscalculated it. Lapse of judgment. I was down before I knew it.

鈥淚t hasn鈥檛 really hit me. A little disbelief, shock. It would have been worse if I didn鈥檛 finish. I鈥檓 glad that I finished and I got across the line. I鈥檒l take some comfort in that in a little bit here.

鈥淩ight now, yeah, I鈥檓 gutted.鈥�

His teammate Kamylle Frenette of Dieppe, N.B., was fourth among PTS5 women.

鈥淚 was hoping for the podium, but fourth place in the world is really good,鈥� Frenette said.

鈥淪itting on the pontoon, I was overlooking the Eiffel Tower. It鈥檚 such a beautiful venue, so really thankful for that.

鈥淚鈥檓 always a bit nervous on the bike and I unfortunately saw my teammate crash, so that was a bit emotional to see that.

鈥淭he run, I was pretty solidly in fourth at that point so I just let myself enjoy and look around.鈥�

Seine鈥檚 water quality headaches that plagued Olympic triathlon continued into the Paralympics.

Taylor鈥檚 race initially schedule for Monday was shifted to Sunday and then back again.

Daniel and Frenette saw their start times shuffled Sunday and ultimately their triathlons delayed a day.

Athletes awoke wondering if they would race, or if their triathlons would be reduced to a duathlon of a bike and a run.

鈥淚t would be a lie if I said it wasn鈥檛 a challenge,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淜nowing it could be anything and trying to be prepared for everything was honestly very difficult.

鈥淥nce we got into the water, it was doing the thing we knew how to do and at that point, I was OK.鈥�

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Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press