Canadian Paralympic Sport Awards: Tyler Turner makes historic gold-medal debut in Beijing

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.

“When I think back to being in Beijing, it was just such a wild experience, and I remember so clearly coming across the finish line,” said Turner looking back on his gold-medal run. “Coming up to the finish line, my knees were weak, I knew I was going to win the thing if I could just get across the final finish line. I don’t know if I’ll ever experience that feeling again, being my first Paralympics, my first time winning a medal; it was something else.”

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.

Beijing 2022 Canadian Paralympic Sport Awards

Best Paralympic Debut by a Female Athlete – Lisa DeJong
Best Paralympic Debut by a Male Athlete – Tyler Turner
Best Team Performance – To be announced
Best Male Athlete – To be announced
Best Female Athlete – To be announced

The Canadian Paralympic Sport Awards recognize outstanding athlete and team performances at the Paralympic Games. For more information visit Paralympic.ca/Sport-Awards.