Gold Medal Paraskiier Natalie Wilkie, Canada's Disability Hall of Fame

Joeita speaks to Paralympic Cross-Country Skiier and gold medalist Natalie Wilkie. This is the third of a three part series profiling the 2023 inductees to the Canada Disability Hall of Fame.

Synopsis

This episode of The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta and guest, King Clancy Award winner and Paralympic cross-country skier, Natalie Wilkie discuss parasport and determination, highlighting the achievements of Paralympic athletes. The perception of people with disabilities as objects of pity has been shattered by the competitiveness and sportsmanship displayed in Paralympic games.  Despite facing a life-altering accident, Wilkie returned to skiing just two weeks later and went on to win gold, silver, and bronze medals at the 2018 Paralympic Games. The interview explores Wilkie's journey, including her introduction to the parasport and the challenges and strategies involved in cross-country skiing. Additionally, Wilkie shares her passion for painting, photography, and training horses.  

Episode Highlights:

• What It Means to Be The Recipient of the King Clancy Award (2:50)
• How Natalie Got Her Start in Cross Country Skiing (3:46)
• Participating in the Paralympic Games (8:39)
• The Differences Between Para-Cross-Country Skiing & Able-Bodied Skiing (9:40)
• The Draw of Competition (12:18)
• Achieving Positive Work-Life Balance (14:03)
• The Impact of Natalie's Legacy on People with Disabilities (20:17)
• Life Aspirations Going Forward (22:24)

About

Natalie Wilkie burst onto the international scene at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. At age 17, she was the youngest member of the Canadian team.  In South Korea, Wilkie prevailed over her more experienced rivals to take a much-celebrated gold in the women’s middle distance standing. She followed that up with bronze in the sprint and silver in the mixed relay.  As a result, she received the Canadian Paralympic Sport Award for Best Paralympic Debut by a Female Athlete.  Wilkie lost four fingers on her left hand in an accident during woodwork class at school in 2016.

Team Canada Profile Link

About The Pulse

On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada.

Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights.

Find Joeita on Twitter: @JoeitaGupta

The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit https://www.ami.ca/ThePulse/recent_episodes

About AMI

AMI is a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. Operating three broadcast services, AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French, AMI’s vision is to establish and support a voice for Canadians with disabilities, representing their interests, concerns and values through inclusion, representation, accessible media, reflection, representation and portrayal.

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About AMI

AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.

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