Winner of 15 Paralympic gold medals in wheelchair racing but first, a humanist and one of Canada’s greatest athletes, Chantal Petitclerc (pronounced “petty-claire”) is one of the most talented paralyzed athletes to grace this planet. And Canada is making sure no one forgets.

Growing up in a small town in Quebec, Chantal Petitclerc lived a quiet life on her family farm. And when she was 13, her idyllic life came to a sudden halt when a heavy barn door fell on her, breaking her back. Since that day, Chantal has been living her life as a paraplegic and she’s been unstoppable.

Why she’s fearless

When Chantal was first injured, she was young and not quite sure of anything yet, partly because of her age and also just like all of us are after spinal cord injury. And after she went back to high school, one of her physical education teachers recommended she try wheelchair racing, and she got hooked right away.  Even though she placed dead last in her first race (and experienced the race from a homemade racing chair), in that moment she discovered what she was born for.

And she began to race in competitions in Canada. After several regional and national championships under her belt, her skill was obvious, and she competed in her first Paralympics in 1992 in Barcelona. And it was here where she won her first Paralympic medals, two bronze medals – for the 200 m and the second for the 800 m.

Four years later at the Atlanta games, Chantal returned to Paralympics, this time tasting her first gold. She won three silver medals (the 400 m, the 800 m and the 1500 m) and she won her first two gold medals of her career, winning gold in the 100 m and the 200 m.

You can begin to see a pattern – Chantal is definitely a fierce competitor.  Maybe she wasn’t born athletic, but her injury certainly made her so, which I think is inspiringly ironic.  Chanel went on to compete in the 2000 Sydney Paralympics, winning two silver medals and two gold medals (in the 200 m and the 800 m). And she really catapulted into fame after she competed in the 2004 Athens Paralympics, where she won (count them) five gold medals. Chantal was the best at wheelchair racing for several years.

And the last games she competed in before retiring were the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. She won 5 more gold medals, and was awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy as the Canadian Athlete of the Year and Canada’s Female Athlete of the Year the same year for her stellar performance in Beijing.

What’s next?

In 2009 after officially retiring, one of the coolest rewards was also bestowed on Chantal – she got a star on Canada’s walk of fame.  Watch her acceptance speech here

Also after retiring, Chantal became a motivational speaker, which is something she does to this day.  She’s also coaching. When her old coach moved onto coaching the British Paralympic racing team after she retired, she was asked to help coach the team in an official capacity as one of their coaches during the London 2012 Paralympics. And she’s currently a personal coach for star British wheelchair racer, Shelly Woods. Here’s a pic of them together last month

But don’t think Chantal isn’t stretching her athletic wings since she’s no longer competing. She keeps pushing herself and is currently learning a new adapted sport – handcycling. You gotta love how Chantal constantly pushes herself.  She’s unstoppable and so positive; a definite superstar in Canada, the spinal cord injury community and beyond.

Have you had the honor of meeting Chantal?

Visit Chantal Petitclerc’s site

Watch the videos!

- In a speaker capacity, Chantal talks about training for the 2008 Beijing Paralympics

- Chantal’s acceptance speech for her award at the 2009 Canada’s Walk of Fame

- Chantal talks about why people with disabilities should get involved in a sport

If you have sturdy stomach and a sense of adventure, adapted sailing is one of the most thrilling sports to explore after an injury. Peaceful, beautiful, and incredibly challenging, the para and quad sailors of the world can’t get enough of it. And it’s no wonder, there’s magic in them there waters.

And let’s not forget, adapted sailing is also an official Paralympic sport. You will find dedicated disabled yachtsmen and sailors all over the globe. The sport truly has become an awesome fusion of ancient knowledge and modern technology. Check out our three videos showing some of the bravest sailors with spinal cord injuries we could find.

Now if you’ve ever dreamed of running off by yourself into the Great Outdoors, this video is for you. Meet Jordan, a 20 something paraplegic, who was injured back in 2000 snowboarding. Since last August, he left his home Oregon for an epic road trip, and has been on the road since. He sleeps in his Jeep Wagoneer and has been all over the country and made hundreds of videos documenting his adventure. Visit his site

Jordan’s ultimate goal however is to use his road trip to get him sponsorship to purchase a sailboat one day, where he wants to take off from Hawaii for more epic adventures. He totally reminds me of Gizzly Adams or Jon Krakauer and his book “Into the Wild.” In this particularly cool video he’s made, watch him sail Lake Tahoe with his dog, and make a pit-stop to make coffee on his boat

Another jaw-droppingly talented sailor with a spinal cord injury is famous yachtsman and Member of the Order of the British Empire (award to him in 2010) Geoff Holt. He’s also a member of SPINALpedia – wetwheels – and has been a C6 quadriplegic since breaking his neck in 1984 in a swimming accident in Tortuga (an island in the Caribbean) when he was 18.

He spent several years on land, but eventually got back into sailing, operating a sailboat by himself with the help of electronic controls, and sometimes his wife who comes along on some of his voyages. In 2007, he become the first quadriplegic yachtsman to sail solo around Great Britain, and in 2010 he set an even more impressive record – and became the first quad to sail across the Atlantic. How does he do it? Watch this awesome video showing him and his wife on day 8 of their Atlantic crossing

And the last video – a custom accessible yacht. That’s right, a gorgeous yacht made to work perfectly for a captain who can’t walk, and the lengths at how accessible this boat is quite impressive. In this video of the Verity K, a ship docked in the UK, watch Mike Wood, a C6 quad, give a tour of his accessible yacht

The boat has a side cut-out, enabling him to wheel right on, and there’s also a lift to bring him below deck. The kitchen, the bedrooms, he can reach it all (disabled sailors all over the world are salivating for this thing). Take a tour of the Verity K

Adapted sailing, despite the expense and difficulty, is without question worth every cent and bead of sweat. It’s definitely for the hardcore quads and paras of the world, those who choose adrenaline over comfort, and we love them for it. Watching these men sail completely unlimited definitely lifts the spirit

Find an accessible sailing program near you

Have you went to an adapted sailing program?

Watch the videos!

- On-the-road paraplegic Jordan sails solo with his dog

- Profile of the amazing Geoff Holt, British yachtsman, first quadriplegic to cross the Atlantic Ocean

- Tour of an accessible yacht