An enthusiastic reception greeted 17-year-old Paralympic champion Natalie Wilkie at the Kelowna International Airport on Monday.
Exhausted from the long flight from Korea, Wilkie didn91裸聊视频檛 let it show as she hugged more than a dozen friends and family who had made the trip from Salmon Arm to welcome her home 91裸聊视频� even her dog made an appearance.
As the youngest member of the Canadian Paralympic Team, Wilkie is bringing home three medals, a gold, silver and bronze, from the PyeongChang games.
91裸聊视频淚 went into the Games thinking it would be more of an experience and my big focus would be on Beijing 2022,91裸聊视频� explained Wilkie. 91裸聊视频淪o I just went out and skied my best and I won three medals which is awesome.91裸聊视频�
The City of Salmon Arm will be celebrating Wilkie91裸聊视频檚 accomplishments with a parade through the downtown area on a city fire truck starting at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, March 23. Wilkie will travel through downtown to the city hall plaza, where she will be honoured by city officials. Everyone is welcome.
The Grade 11 student said she didn91裸聊视频檛 know her place during some of the races due to the interval starts, and instead focused on the fact she was skiing against some of the world91裸聊视频檚 top professional athletes.
91裸聊视频淢y first race was the 15-kilometre race and I hadn91裸聊视频檛 really done that one much, but the last three races are ones I have been doing all year,91裸聊视频� she said.
Wilkie91裸聊视频檚 first medal of the Paralympics was a bronze in the 1.5-km sprint race, followed by her gold medal win in the 7.5-km race and a silver-medal finish the next day as part of the Canadian relay team.
For her gold medal in the 7.5- km standing race, Wilkie said she couldn91裸聊视频檛 believe her time when she saw the clock after the first lap and, when she crossed the finish line, she knew she had placed.
Wilkie91裸聊视频檚 mother Karin Huster is still in disbelief about her daughter91裸聊视频檚 achievements, saying she did not see this coming.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 unbelievable, nobody expected that,91裸聊视频� Huster explained. 91裸聊视频淪he went to her first para-Olympics as a 17-year-old who was going to feel out what it was like and learn from the experience and here she gets a gold medal.91裸聊视频�
The para-nordic skier is now being compared to Brian McKeever, Canada91裸聊视频檚 most-decorated Winter Paralympian, something Wilkie is a tad shy about.
91裸聊视频淚 mean, I guess they are comparing me because I have a long career ahead of me,91裸聊视频� she laughed.
Indeed, she does have a long career and the gumption to carry it out. After losing her fingers in a wood-shop incident at school, Wilkie jumped back on her skis just two weeks later. Since then, she has continued competing in both traditional and para-skiing events, recently placing fourth in the mass-start 7-km race at the 2018 Teck B.C. Championships.
91裸聊视频淚t (skiing) really helped me get through my accident,91裸聊视频� Wilkie explained. 91裸聊视频淚t helped to normalize things after my accident and make everything seem OK.91裸聊视频�
Another reason Wilkie believes she has been successful is that the support from Salmon Arm has been overwhelming.
91裸聊视频淭he whole community has just stepped up and supported me in my journey. I don91裸聊视频檛 think I would have had the same feeling going into the Games had they not been so supportive.91裸聊视频�
In fact, many of her biggest fans in the community gathered to watch her claim the gold in the 7.5-km race at a live-viewing party in the SASCU Recreation Centre Auditorium. The party culminated in raucous applause and ear-splitting cheers from a crowd brimming with hometown pride, carrying signs emblazoned with the words 91裸聊视频楪o Natalie Go.91裸聊视频�
Jennifer Henrie, who helped to organize the viewing party, says: 91裸聊视频淚 think she completely surprised everybody. She91裸聊视频檚 such a down-to-earth kid and it91裸聊视频檚 amazing to see her take it all in stride.91裸聊视频�
And, Wilkie91裸聊视频檚 mother agrees.
91裸聊视频淪almon Arm and Larch Hills are known for producing really good skiers, even at the local level,91裸聊视频� said Huster.
Now, Wilkie will return to life in Salmon Arm but she has two weeks of spring break to ease back into the groove of high school.
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