The Canadian Paralympic Sport Awards recognizes outstanding athlete and team performances at the Paralympic Games. Here are the winners from the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games:
BEST PARALYMPIC DEBUT BY A FEMALE ATHLETE
LISA DEJONG, Para snowboard
When Lisa DeJong crossed the finish line in second in the women’s SB-LL2 snowboard cross final at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, she etched her name in the history books. She will forever be the first Canadian to win a Para snowboard medal at the Paralympic Games.
Para snowboard made its debut at the 2014 Games, and DeJong was the first Canadian athlete to step on the podium in the sport, winning a silver medal at her first Paralympic Games.
DeJong was also second in her snowboard cross quarterfinal and semifinal to qualify for the final, where she stayed in that silver-medal position. She followed winner Cecile Hernandez of France to the finish line, while Brenna Huckaby of the U.S. was third.
The result was the cap to an incredible season for DeJong, who had become a medal contender earlier in the year with strong results on the World Cup circuit and three medals at the world championships.
BEST PARALYMPIC DEBUT BY A MALE ATHLETE
TYLER TURNER, PARA SNOWBOARD
Tyler Turner became a Para snowboard superstar at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, becoming the first Canadian ever to win Paralympic gold in the sport.
Turner, making his Paralympic debut, won gold in the men’s SB-LL1 snowboard cross in dominant fashion. Finishing first in both his quarterfinal and semifinal runs as well, Turner took the lead early in the final and outdistanced his opponents to take the clear victory.
Later in the week, Turner added another medal to his haul with a bronze in the men’s SB-LL1 banked slalom.
His Paralympic success cemented his place on top of the Para snowboard world, coming off a world championships just a couple months earlier where he captured two gold and a bronze.
BEST TEAM PERFORMANCE
wheelchair curling
With an 8-3 victory over Slovakia in the bronze-medal game at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, Canada secured its fifth consecutive podium in wheelchair curling.
Matching the team’s result from 2018, Canada has now collected a medal in all five wheelchair curling tournaments since the sport was added to the Paralympic program in 2006 (three gold, two bronze).
Led by skip Mark Ideson in Beijing, Canada was up 4-3 after seven ends with a medal on the line. With two spectacular shots from Jon Thurston in the eighth and final end, Canada came out on top.
Ideson and Thurston were joined on the squad by Ina Forrest, Dennis Thiessen, and Colinda Joseph. The bronze medal marked a fourth Games podium for Forrest, a third for Ideson and Thiessen, and a first for Thurston and Joseph.
BEST MALE ATHLETE
Brian McKeever, para nordic skiing
Heading into his sixth Paralympic Winter Games at Beijing 2022, Brian McKeever had announced it would be his last Games as an athlete. The Para nordic skiing legend entered the Games already as Canada’s most decorated Winter Paralympian and only further cemented his status as one of the greatest of all-time, adding three gold medals to his trophy case.
McKeever raced to victories in the men’s vision impaired long distance (20km) and sprint alongside guide Russell Kennedy, as well as the middle distance (12.5km) event with guide Graham Nishikawa.
With the three golds won in Beijing, McKeever closed out his Paralympic career with 20 total medals, 16 of which are gold. This ties him with German Para alpine skier Gerd Schoenfelder for the most-ever gold medals won by a male winter Paralympian.
BEST FEMALE ATHLETE
natalie wilkie, para nordic skiing
Canada’s youngest medallist at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games, Natalie Wilkie was also its winningest with two gold, one silver, and one bronze.
Competing at her second Games at the age of 21, Wilkie captured gold in both the women’s standing long distance (15km) and sprint cross country races, silver in the middle distance (10km), and bronze as part of the 4x2.5km mixed relay alongside Collin Cameron, Emily Young, and Mark Arendz.
No longer a rising star, the now seven-time Paralympic medallist is firmly one of the best in the sport.
TIM frick paralympic coach excellence award
robin mckeever, Para nordic
McKeever has been synonymous with Canada’s Para nordic ski team for years. He was instrumental in the foundation of the team, which has been a powerhouse under his leadership and a beacon for what a flourishing national program can look like.
With his legacy already secured, his success continued at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. Head coach of Canada’s Para nordic team, McKeever stewarded his athletes to another phenomenal slate of performances at the Games. Canada captured 14 medals (six gold, two silver, and six bronze) across Para cross country and Para biathlon in Beijing, the most of any sport.
