Canada announce Alpine and Nordic skiing 2017/18 teams

The Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) announced strong alpine and Nordic skiing teams for the 2017/18 season, headlined by some renowned Paralympic and world champions.

The nominations, however, do not guarantee them a spot at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.

Two-time world champion Mark Arendz, Collin Cameron, Chris Klebl and 10-time Paralympic gold medallist Brian McKeever with guide Graham Nishikawa will make up the men’s Nordic skiing team. Brittany Hudak and Emily Young will also represent the country.

The prospects team members are Sebastien Fortier, Derek Zaplotinsky, Ethan Hess and Natalie Wilkie.

Arendz, who won five medals at February 2017’s World Championships in Finsterau, Germany, said: “It will take some time to forget about that week.

“The focus on what I had to do for each race, the excitement for each competition but then refocusing on the task at hand. To sound cliché, I was in the zone.”

McKeever added: “It's getting very tough since the younger skiers are getting so much faster each year and the gap is shrinking each month.

“I love that this is finally happening as more racers are clearly training at the top level and have made significant technical improvements. I'm proud that this is happening in the Para Nordic world.

‘’We are all improving because of it and the collective level is getting super high.”

The Alpine skiing team for next season was also announced following its outstanding performance at the World Championships in Tarvisio, Italy, where Canadian athletes took 11 medals, including four golds, three silvers and four bronzes.

Alexis Guimond, Braydon Luscombe, Kirk Schornstein, Kurt Oatway and four-time world champion Mac Marcoux with guide Jack Leitch will compete in the men’s events, whilst Alanna Ramsay and Erin Latimer will participate in the women’s competitions.

Full story is available on the Canadian Paralympic Committee’s website.