Canadian athletes embracing Paralympic momentum with Milan-Cortina Winter Games in sight
Games represent breath of fresh air after 2022 Beijing Paralympics marred by pandemic
Natalie Wilkie was on her flight to Norway for a landmark competition when a man next to her struck up conversation.
As the plane sat delayed in the runway, he asked Wilkie why she was headed to the central European country.
She explained she would be competing in the Nordic World Ski Championships — for the first time, Para events will be held alongside able-bodied races, and she is the lone Canadian competing on the Para side.
His response took her by surprise.
"He knew so much about the Paralympics and he didn't say Para Olympics, he didn't say Olympics. And I just thought that was really cool," Wilkie said.
"It's kinda sad I was surprised."
Wilkie went on to win silver in the one-kilometre spring classic event at the first day of worlds on Wednesday, while Thursday marks exactly one year to go until the 2026 Milano-Cortina Paralympics kick off with an opening ceremony in the Arena Di Verona.
For athletes, these Games represent a breath of fresh air after the 2022 Beijing Paralympics were marred by the pandemic. The prior two Games, Pyeongchang 2018 and Sochi 2014, took place halfway across the world for Canadians and with additional complications of their own.
And so, like the Paris Games on the summer side, Italy is a chance to once again celebrate the Paralympics and re-ignite the world's awareness around Para sport, so that athletes like Wilkie are no longer surprised when strangers understand and engage with their competition.
"He found the Paralympics almost more interesting, in that it was the same sports but completely different with the different classifications and adaptations that Para sports often have from able-bodied sports," Wilkie said.
"The way he was talking about it, I could tell he had spent a lot of time watching these sports."
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50th anniversary of Winter Paralympics
Milano Cortina will mark the 50th anniversary of the Winter Paralympics, and the second time they are held in Italy after Torino 2006. More than 600 athletes from 45-plus countries are expected to compete at what will be the vastest Games ever with venues located in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Milano and Tesero — an area spanning over 20,000 square kilometres.
Athletes will do battle from March 6-15, 2026, in 79 medal events across six sport disciplines, including the introduction of mixed doubles wheelchair curling.
Canada will be looking to maintain its strong form. After a national-record 28 medals at Pyeongchang, Canadian athletes reached 25 podiums in Beijing.
Wilkie, the 24-year-old from Salmon Arm, B.C., was the youngest athlete from the Canadian contingent in Pyeongchang. Seven years later, she's a seven-time Paralympic medallist (three gold, two silver, two bronze) and veteran of the Para Nordic squad.
"These last three years have really flown by. And now that we're at the one-year mark, it's becoming so real. Like, wow, in like only a year, I'm gonna be standing at the start line of my third Paralympics. That's a crazy thought," Wilkie said.
For the first time since Pyeongchang, Wilkie's mom will be in attendance — and for the first-time ever, her two sisters will be there too. Her mom has already booked their AirBnB and is looking into flights.
Catherine Gosselin-Despres, the chief of sport for the Canadian Paralympic Committee, said she expects Italy to be a "good feeling" for athletes — and perhaps skiers in particular, since the sport is so popular in that part of the world.
"It's going to be a return to the new normal and having their families there and being able to hang out with each other a bit more than in Beijing. And then all of the celebration that's going to come with it," she said.
"I feel like it's going to be very loud and crowded and really fun from an ambience standpoint for the athletes and coaches and everybody on the field of play."
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Paralympic legacy
Gosselin-Despres also said Italy's attempt at leaving a Paralympic legacy includes revamped, more accessible metro systems in Milan and Verona.
Not that Milano Cortina won't be without some potential issues — it would be an outlier if everything went smoothly.
There could be continued U.S.-Canada tensions, like what was seen at hockey's 4 Nations Face-Off, if relations between the North American neighbours fail to simmer.
"I'm probably not expecting it as much in other sports than hockey, but you never know, right?" Gosselin-Despres said. "We feel pretty Canadian these days and we — how am I going to say — we feel the pressure coming to us. So maybe it's going to motivate people."
The overarching international concern is over climate change and how it will affect snow conditions in March, nearly one month after the Olympic events.
Wilkie said the Nordic team is already planning to race in 20-degree C weather and through slush, with times expected to be a touch slower as a result.
"We started wearing bandanas to a training camp and soaked them in ice water before, just to see if that would help cool our body temperature before going out," Wilkie said.
Even in the absence of Canadian Paralympic legend Brian McKeever, who transitioned to coaching after Beijing, the Para Nordic team is expected to continue as a major source of medals, with Wilkie and four-time Paralympian Mark Arendz at the forefront.
Other stars to watch
Other stars to watch include the emergent visually impaired skier Kalle Ericsson, whose guide is former national teamer Sienna Smith, and Raphaelle Tousignant, who could become the first Canadian woman to compete in Para hockey at the Paralympics.
Snowboarder Tyler Turner will look to build upon his successful Paralympic debut three years ago, when he won snowboard-cross gold and banked-slalom bronze.
"I can't wait. Pressure's a privilege, and what a privilege to go represent your country. I know any time I'm in the start gate, I have the potential, I have the skills to win that race if I put it all together, so I just want to keep this momentum going," Turner said.
Still, as Turner indicated, nothing is guaranteed.
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As such, Gosselin-Despres was hesitant to provide a projected medal count, since the next year could bring breakout stars and devastating injuries alike.
"We have a mix of new and old athletes. So that'll be interesting. And we've done pretty [well] in the past few seasons. I don't want to jinx it too much, but it's been really positive to see the performances," she said.
Now, the goal is to keep building — for athletes to win medals, and for the Paralympic movement itself to grow and continue its new era.
"I think Paris is really kind of like a turning point for that," Wilkie said. "And I think these next Paralympics in the winter can be as well. So I'm just really, really excited to share the sport, hopefully get some more fans, inspire some kids."
