PyeongChang 2018 Paralympics are 1 year away
Canadian athletes preparing for Games in South Korea
Mark it on your calendars: today marks the one-year-out point from the start of the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Games.
The 12th edition of the Winter Paralympics is scheduled to take place less than two weeks after the conclusion of the Winter Olympics and will run from March 9-18 in South Korea.
We're celebrating 1 year until the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PyeongChang2018?src=hash">#PyeongChang2018</a> Paralympics and para-ice hockey player <a href="https://twitter.com/gwestlake12">@gwestlake12</a> is on our Snapchat 👻 add 'cbcsports' <a href="https://t.co/BFHoz6SjtV">pic.twitter.com/BFHoz6SjtV</a>
—@CBCOlympicsHere's a look at what you can expect from Canada's Paralympians next March:
80 gold medals up for grabs
The Paralympics return to South Korea for the first time since the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul. The Games will consist of approximately 670 athletes in 80 medal events across the sports of alpine skiing, biathlon, cross-country skiing, sledge hockey, snowboarding and wheelchair curling.
After its debut in Sochi, the snowboarding program will expand from two to 10 events next year, which will provide more medal opportunities for Canadian athletes like John Leslie.
Canada's Paralympic plan
Retired sledge hockey captain and five-time Paralympian Todd Nicholson is Team Canada's chef de mission for the upcoming Games. Nicholson won three medals for Canada over the course of his career, including gold in 2006.
"I hope the experience I've gained both as an athlete and in the leadership roles I've fulfilled since my playing career will benefit the overall team," Nicholson said in a press release.
Nicholson and the rest of the Canadian contingent will try to outdo their medal haul from the 2014 Games, where Canada brought home 16 medals. While the total was three fewer than the Vancouver Paralympics in 2010, it included three golds from cross-country skier Brian McKeever, who became the first Canadian Winter Paralympian to win 10 gold medals in a career.
The following athletes won Canada's other gold medals:
- Christopher Klebl (cross-country skiing)
- Josh Dueck (alpine skiing)
- Mac Marcoux (alpine skiing)
- Jim Armstrong, Ina Forrest, Sonja Gaudet, Mark Ideson and Dennis Thiessen (wheelchair curling)
Canada's mixed sledge hockey team will look to surpass their bronze-medal performance in Sochi, while biathlete and cross-country skier Mark Arendz hopes to ride the momentum of a successful 2017 season to a Paralympic gold.
