Natalie Wilkie

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.

She had made her Nordic skiing debut only months before at a home World Cup in Canmore, finishing fourth in all her cross-country events.

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. "I was planing a piece of wood. The wood kicked back so my hand went into the machine, and I was stuck for an hour."

She has competed in able-bodied cross-country skiing at national level in Canada. Her sister Isabelle competed in cross-country skiing at the 2018 British Columbia Winter Games.