Canadian Paralympic Athletes Win Big by Shandi Pace

After sending it’s largest contingency to the Paralympics Canada did not disappoint. The
athletes representing the maple leaf picked up a total of 28 medals (8 gold, 4 silver, 16 bronze). This blows away Canada’s most successful Winter Games set in Vancouver in 2010 where 19 total medals were won, 10 of which were gold.

Many athletes were able to accomplish what they set out to do. Mark Arendz was the clear choice as Canada’s flag bearer after his impressive medal count. After years of heartbreak, he finally won the biathlon gold he was missing. Arendz won a total of five individual medals and a cross-country mixed relay silver to bring his total to six.

Brian McKeever became Canada’s most decorated Paralympic athlete and won triple gold in PyeongChang. He now has 16 Paralympic medals, 13 of them being gold. The Canadian men’s sledge hockey team took home the silver medal after a heartbreaking overtime loss to the United States.

Mollie Jepsen won four medals in South Korea, including gold in the women’s standing super-combined slalom. This 18-year-old can only walk away with her head held high and medals of every colour around her neck.

These athletes were unstoppable as soon as the Games started. With the amount of talent Canadian athletes have shown over the last two weeks, it’s only fitting to be even more excited for the next Paralympic Winter Games in 2022.

Paralympic Athletes to Watch in PyeongChang by Shandi Pace

Although the Winter Olympics have finished, the Paralympics are only just beginning. More than 50 athletes will be proudly wearing the red maple leaf, representing Canada in PyeongChang, South Korea from March 8-18.

The Paralympics never get as much coverage or excitement as the Olympics do unfortunately, but learning more about the athletes that will be representing Team Canada can add to your enthusiasm at home. With varying levels of experience and multiple skill sets, here are three standouts to watch:

Brian McKeever

Sport:

Nordic Skiing - Biathlon

Nordic Skiing - Cross Country Skiing

Brian McKeever made history at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games when he was named to both the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic teams. Over his career, he’s raced at four Paralympics and remains one of the top visually impaired cross-country skiers in the world. McKeever has won an incredible 13 medals, 10 of which are gold. During the World Championships in February, he captured the win with his guide in the 10- and 20-kilometre events. He also helped Canada make its first ever podium finish in the 4x2.5-kilometre relay.

Read full bio: http://paralympic.ca/brian-mckeever

Ina Forrest

Sport:

Wheelchair Curling

Ina Forrest made her curling debut at the 2010 Vancouver Paralympics vice-skipping for Team Canada. Forrest helped Team Canada capture Paralympic gold in Vancouver and in Sochi. In PyeongChang, she’ll be helping Canada try to win its fourth consecutive Paralympic gold medal in wheelchair curling.

In total, Forrest has competed at nine straight world wheelchair curling championships. She has captured first three times and has never finished outside of the top ten.

Forrest was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in February 2016, re-establishing that she is one of the most decorated wheelchair curlers and is still hungry for more gold.

Read full bio: http://paralympic.ca/ina-forrest

Liam Hickey

Sport:

Sledge Hockey/Wheelchair Basketball 

Competing in both the Summer and Winter Games is a feat not many athletes have accomplished. Liam Hickey is a 19-year-old from St. John’s, Newfoundland that played wheelchair basketball for Team Canada at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. He’s now making the transition from the court to the ice, and will be playing for Canada’s sledge hockey team in PyeongChang.

Hickey was named as one of four teenagers that were named to Canada’s National Sledge team in December 2016. At the 2017 World Para Ice Hockey Championships in South Korea in April of last year, Hickey finished fourth in tournament scoring with seven goals and nine assists. This was Hickey’s first world championship in the sport as he helped Team Canada defeat its rivals, the USA 4-1 to win their fourth world title.

Read full bio: http://paralympic.ca/liam-hickey 

The Legacy of the Parapan Am Games

The Olympics are an exciting time. Everyone cheers and shows their national pride. Unfortunately, I think the Paralympics sometimes take a back seat. They are not as televised like the Olympics and sometimes they seem to fall off people's radar.

I thought that this is what might happen with the Pan Am and ParaPan Am Games, but I have been pleasantly surprised.

All along, the Pan Am and ParaPan Am Games have been promoted together. I have heard radio sports updates on the games. This morning I heard an interview with someone who created a website documenting the accessibility of places in Toronto. I think that people are talking about the ParaPan Am Games in the same way they talked about the Pan Am Games (and not complaining about them as much). It's exciting that the ParaPan Am Games have raised the profile of people with disabilities in Toronto and I hope they leave a legacy of accessibility long after the athletes have returned home.