Salmon Arm’s Natalie Wilkie was recently named Canada’s Best Female Athlete for her medal-winning performance at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games.
The seven-time Paralympian received the honour last month in the 2022 Canadian Paralympic Sport Awards.
At the Games held in March, Wilkie, 21, captured gold medals in both the women’s standing long distance (15-kilometre) and sprint cross-country races, silver in the middle distance (10k), and bronze as part of the 4x2.5km mixed relay alongside Collin Cameron, Emily Young and Mark Arendz.
Fellow Para Nordic skier Brian McKeever was named Best Male Athlete.
“It feels pretty special to be recognized for my performance in Beijing, which feels like so long ago, but also like it was yesterday,” said Wilkie on winning Best Female Athlete. “Probably my favourite part of my Games experience was the atmosphere of Team Canada. Everyone was so stoked and excited for each other. Whatever performance we had, it was a performance for Canada, and that really united everyone. It was really cool to be a part of.”
The Canadian Paralympic Committee referred to Wilkie as one of the best in the sport.
Read more: Natalie Wilkie, 7-time Paralympic medallist, honoured by Salmon Arm council
Read more: Salmon Arm Paralympian Natalie Wilkie reflects on expectations, success at 2022 Games
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