- Arendz, who has competed in four Paralympics, is no stranger to the Games.
- Marcoux, 24, is a possible successor to Arendz and McKeever in the ski race.
- Ouellet has previously competed in the Pandemic Paralympics.
- Hudak was a member of the silver-medal-winning mixed relay team at the 2019 World Championships.
The Paralympics in Beijing in 2022 will feature only five sports, but there will be no shortage of interesting athletes. Here are seven Canadian contenders to keep an eye on before the opening ceremony in China on March 4:
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Arendz, Mark (Para-Nordic Skiing)
Arendz, who has competed in four Paralympics, is no stranger to the Games.
“Every game has a different flavor, a different vibe.
I was at home in Vancouver, getting my feet wet. For me, Sochi was a watershed moment.
It was the location where I wanted to perform.
When I left Sochi, I was a little disappointed.
But there was a strong drive for the next four years, culminating in the third Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, which was a huge success,” Arendz said.
The quadrennial preceding Beijing was unlike any other because of the pandemic.
Nonetheless, Arendz stated that his experience with fluctuating weather conditions helped him focus on the limited travel benefits.
“Now we could simply go train, stay at home, eat well, and just add to that foundation that will be necessary when we get to Beijing,” he explained.
Mac Marcoux (Alpine Skiing)
Marcoux, 24, is a possible successor to Arendz and McKeever in the ski race.
In the giant slalom, downhill, and super-G events, the Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. native has won five Paralympic gold medals in just two games.
Mac Marcoux sped to Canada’s first Paralympic gold medal in Pyeongchang.
The Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. native won gold in the men’s visually impaired downhill race with a time of 1:23.93 seconds.
Marcoux has been taught by competitive alpine skier Tristan Rodgers since 2018 and was voted Canada’s top snow-sport athlete last season.
Rodgers remarked that the power sport’s potential to bring people together would be the focus in Beijing.
Ouelett, Cindy (Para-Nordic Skiing)
Ouellet has previously competed in the Pandemic Paralympics.
Just like the others, she is common amongst the followers of sports betting in Canada, who adore her outstanding proficiency in the field.
The 32-year-old Quebec City native was a part of Canada’s women’s wheelchair basketball team at Tokyo 2020.
She’s now attempting to qualify for the Para Nordic Skiing World Championships in Beijing.
It would be her sixth Paralympics, and her second of the winter variety, after 2018.
Hudak, Brittany (Para-Nordic Skiing)
Colette Bourgonje, a 10-time Canadian Paralympic medallist, discovered Hudak, who was born without a piece of her left arm, as a Canadian Tire employee at the age of 18.
Hudak, 28, now holds a Paralympic medal after coming third in the women’s 12.5-kilometer biathlon in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018.
In addition, the native of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, works as a social worker at a residential group home for teenagers in the Calgary region.
Hudak was a member of the silver-medal-winning mixed relay team at the 2019 World Championships.
Forrest, Ina (Wheelchair Curling)
The three-time Paralympic medalist is back for her fourth Games with fury after coming third in her first two appearances.
Forrest, 59, of Armstrong, B.C., was a member of world-champion rinks in 2009, 2011, and 2013.
However, Canada’s supremacy in both wheelchair and able-bodied curling is dwindling.
The Canadian rink, coached by Mark Ideson, was eliminated in the world championships quarterfinals in October.
Forrest was elected into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 2016, after curling since 2004.
McKeever, Brian (Para-Nordic Skiing)
The most decorated Winter Paralympian in Canadian history is making one final appearance.
McKeever, 42, said in October 2020 that Beijing would be his sixth and final Olympic Games, capping off a 17-medal career that featured a record-breaking 13 golds.
“As much as I enjoy it, I have to face the truth that I’m getting older, and my beard is getting longer and greyer by the day – it’s time,” McKeever said when announcing his retirement to Rocky Mountain Outlook.
The visually challenged athlete from Canmore, Alta., was named to the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic teams, making him the first Canadian to accomplish so.
He, however, did not compete in the Olympics.
McKeever, who is coached by Russell Kennedy and Graham Nishikawa, has 20 world titles and was the opening ceremony flag-bearer in Pyeongchang.
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Bridges, Billy (Para Ice Hockey)
Bridges, 38, is regarded as one of Canada’s greatest para-ice hockey players of all time.
Bridges is a four-time world champion and the first Canadian to reach the 100-goal, 100-assist, and 200-points milestone.
She has three Paralympic medals (one of each color).
Despite winning his first global title in 2000, the Summerside, P.E.I. native language is far from complete.
Bridges were one of two Canadians to score a hat trick in a recent rout of fourth-ranked Korea.
After the United States, Canada is ranked second.
Bridges, despite being born with a handicap that limits his mobility, can hit 80 mph with his slap shots.
