Biography
Impairment information
Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries
Origin of Impairment
Acquired
Classification
LW10.5
Further personal information
Occupation
Athlete
Languages
English
Sport specific information
When and where did you begin this sport?
Following his motocross accident in 2006 he took four years to adjust to his impairment, before deciding to return to sport. He first got involved in handcycling, before taking up cross-country skiing.
Why this sport?
"Growing up in a small rural town in Alberta, shooting was something we enjoyed as kids. First with the pellet guns and then big game hunting. In all honesty I started cross-country skiing because I wanted to do biathlon. I thought biathlon would be a fairly easy sport to compete in, with my experience with guns, but was I mistaken. I learned quickly it's a lot harder than it looks. Biathlon is a sport that motivates me, I want the accuracy and speed while dealing with the heart rate and breathing."
Name of coach
Robin McKeever [national], CAN
General interest
Hobbies
Snowmobiling, quad biking, water sports. (nordiqcanada.ca, 01 Feb 2020)
Memorable sporting achievement
Competing at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (biathlon23.wordpress.com, 13 Sep 2018)
Hero / Idol
Italian biathlete Dorothea Wierer, Canadian Para biathlete Emily Young. (biathlon23.wordpress.com, 13 Sep 2018)
Other sports
He competed in both cross-country skiing and biathlon at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. He has also participated in handcycling at national level. Prior to his accident he raced in motocross competitions in Canada and the United States of America. (paralympic.org, 2016; cccski.com, 24 Jan 2015; cyclingcanada.ca, 27 Jun 2014; mxsponsor.com, 2016; biathlon23.wordpress.com, 13 Sep 2018; SportsDeskOnline, 30 Dec 2020)
Ambitions
To win a medal at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing. (nordiqcanada.ca, 01 Feb 2020)
Impairment
He has paraplegia as the result of a motocross accident in 2006 in Lloydminster, AB, Canada. Another motorcycle landed on top of him. (paralympic.ca, 15 Mar 2020; mxsponsor.com, 2016)
Other information
PYEONGCHANG DISAPPOINTMENT
He said he did not perform as well as he hoped to at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, where a sinus infection hampered his performance in later races. "In all honesty, I was bummed with my performance. I went into the Games feeling good with my skiing and shooting. In the biathlon sprint and 15km cross-country I was pleased with the ninth place results and was looking forward to putting it all together for the rest of the races. When it came to the middle distance biathlon, I felt my skiing was good but my shooting was not consistent. Prior to the sprint cross-country race I came down with a sinus infection, which definitely ended up hurting my performance for the rest of the Games." (biathlon23.wordpress.com, 13 Sep 2018)
FINDING THE PERFECT FIT
He considers one of his weaknesses to be his habit of making technical adjustments to his sit-ski. "I overthink things and like to consistently play around with my sit-ski, looking for the perfect fit." (biathlon23.wordpress.com, 13 Sep 2018)
He said he did not perform as well as he hoped to at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, where a sinus infection hampered his performance in later races. "In all honesty, I was bummed with my performance. I went into the Games feeling good with my skiing and shooting. In the biathlon sprint and 15km cross-country I was pleased with the ninth place results and was looking forward to putting it all together for the rest of the races. When it came to the middle distance biathlon, I felt my skiing was good but my shooting was not consistent. Prior to the sprint cross-country race I came down with a sinus infection, which definitely ended up hurting my performance for the rest of the Games." (biathlon23.wordpress.com, 13 Sep 2018)
FINDING THE PERFECT FIT
He considers one of his weaknesses to be his habit of making technical adjustments to his sit-ski. "I overthink things and like to consistently play around with my sit-ski, looking for the perfect fit." (biathlon23.wordpress.com, 13 Sep 2018)
Results
Unit | Date | Rank |
---|
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's Short Distance Sitting | Race 1 | 2015-01-24 | 18 | |
Men's Long Distance - Free Style Sitting | Race 1 | 2015-01-25 | 12 | |
Men's Sprint - Classic Sitting | Race 1 | 2015-01-28 | 18 | |
Men's Middle Distance - Classic Sitting | Race 1 | 2015-01-31 | 18 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's Middle Distance Sitting | Final | 2017-02-11 | 9 | |
Men's Sprint - Free Style Sitting | Final | 2017-02-12 | 9999 | |
Men's Long Distance Sitting | Final | 2017-02-14 | 5 | |
Men's Sprint Sitting | Final | 2017-02-18 | 10 | |
Men's Middle Distance - Free Style Sitting | Final | 2017-02-19 | 12 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's 7.5km Sitting | Final | 2018-03-10 | 9 | |
Men's 15km Sitting | Final | 2018-03-11 | 9 | |
Men's 12.5km Sitting | Final | 2018-03-13 | 12 | |
Men's 1.1km Sprint Sitting | Final | 2018-03-14 | 12 | |
Men's 7.5km Sitting | Final | 2018-03-17 | 15 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Men's Middle Distance Sitting | Final | 2019-02-16 | 9 | |
Men's Middle Distance - Free Style Sitting | Final | 2019-02-17 | 5 | |
Men's Sprint Sitting | Final | 2019-02-20 | 4 | |
Men's Long Distance Sitting | Final | 2019-02-21 | 6 | |
Men's Long Distance - Classic Sitting | Final | 2019-02-24 | 5 |