CROSS-COUNTRY:

McKeever, Bourgonje lead talented Paralympic nordic team

March 7, 2010 — Canada Cross-Country     ►Photo: Colette Bourgonje (Brent Reid, CCC)   

Join the SRC fun on Facebook

Canada will send 12 cross-country ski athletes to the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, with the athletes bringing an impressive list of international medals won as long as the trails they will compete on at Whistler Paralympic Park.

Paralympic veterans Brian McKeever and Colette Bourgonje, who have combined to win 15 Paralympic medals, will headline the 2010 squad that is loaded with veteran leadership and youthful energy. Five of the 12 athletes named have skied to the podium at the IPC World Cup, IPC World Championships or Paralympic Winter Games.

“Canada is a force to reckon with in cross-country skiing at the Paralympic Games,” said Tom Holland, high-performance director for Cross Country Canada. “We have assembled a team of athletes that have won medals at all levels in their sport, including multiple Paralympic Games. These results are a tribute to the talent and dedication to excellence by this elite group of athletes and coaching staff.”

McKeever, of Canmore, Alta., who qualified for Canada’s Olympic team last month, will return for his third Paralympic Winter Games.

The 30-year-old McKeever, who will be guided by his brother Robin, has won seven Paralympic medals in the visually impaired category.

Regarded as one of the greatest wheelchair athletes of our time, Saskatoon’s Bourgonje will make her sixth appearance at a Winter Games to go along with three trips to the Summer Paralympics. Bourgonje has won four medals in both the Summer and Winter Paralympics.

Bourgonje and McKeever will be joined by three other IPC World Cup medal-winning athletes. Mark Arendz of Springton, P.E.I., will make his Paralympic debut in the biathlon events. Arendz, who competes in the men’s standing division, captured his first World Cup podium finishes last month.

Robbi Weldon and Brian Berry of Thunder Bay, Ont., will join forces in the women’s visually impaired category. A three-year veteran of the national program, Weldon will make her first appearance at the Games. Another first-time Paralympian, Jody Barber of Smithers, B.C., who has climbed onto the international podium in just two seasons with the Canadian squad, will compete in the women’s standing division.

Other athletes: Vancouverites Mary Benson and Andrea Bundon, who will guide for Vancouver’s Courtney Knight; and Ottawa’s Margarita Gorbounova, who will be guided by Robert D’Arras in women’s racing.

Tyler Mosher will welcome the world to his home community of Whistler in men’s racing. Rounding out the men’s team are Lou Gibson of Langley, B.C., Quebec’s Sebastian Fortier and Ottawa’s Alexei Novikov, who will be guided by Jamie Stirling.

“This is a very talented group of athletes that bring a wealth of experience and know what it takes to succeed under pressure on the international stage,” said Holland. “Depth is critical to attacking the podium in sport, and we have selected a talented group of athletes capable of winning medals.”

Canada’s Paralympic Cross-Country Ski Team will train at the Canmore Nordic Centre until Monday, when they will head to the Paralympic venues. The 2010 Paralympic Winter Games take place from March 11-21.  SRC