Following opening round-robin victories in wheelchair curling and Para ice hockey on the first full day of competition at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, Canada collected its first three medals, all silver, on March 14.
In Para nordic skiing, veteran Colette Bourgonje of Saskatoon, now a member of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, added her name to the history books by becoming the first Canadian to reach the podium on home soil. She won the silver in the women’s sitting 10-kilometre cross country race.
In men’s sit skiing slalom, Josh Dueck of Vernon, B.C. edged the bronze medallist by a mere 0.05 seconds for his first medal in his Paralympic debut. It was the start to a legendary career for Dueck who would eventually savour gold in Sochi four years later.
And in the women’s visually impaired race, Montreal’s Viviane Forest launched one of the great Paralympic Games performances in history, placing second in her slalom race with her guide Lindsay Debou.
