Veteran Para-Nordic sitting racer Colette Bourgonje wrote her name in the history books on the weekend as the winner of the first Canadian Paralympic medal on home soil.

The nine-time Paralympian finished the women’s 10-kilometre sitting race at Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park in 31 minutes, 49.8 seconds to claim the silver medal — her fifth Paralympic medal overall.

Becoming the first Canadian to claim a Paralympic medal on home soil was clearly something special to the 48-year-old grade school teacher from Saskatoon.

“Wow, I’m shocked and I can’t believe it,” Bourgonje said. “Age is nothing, attitude is everything and I lived by that today.

“I am still racing because I wanted to compete at a Paralympics in Canada and I’m just so proud to have done this in front of all Canadians. I share this medal with the entire country.”

Bourgonje, who has competed in five winter and four summer Games, has nine Paralympic medals to her credit.

Bourgonje was on-pace to win the gold medal at the midway point, but lost valuable time after crashing on the second of three, 3.3-kilometre laps. She bounced back held on for the silver medal.

“Our wax techs were awesome and I owe a lot of this medal to them because these skis were flying today,” said Bourgonje. “I may be standing on the podium, but this medal is for our entire team to share. We were all in this together.”

Liudmila Vauchok of Belarus won the gold with a time of 30:52.9. Olena Iurkovska, of the Ukraine, was third at 32:43.5.

Bourgonje decided this year to relocate to Canmore, Alta. and take advantage of training at the higher altitudes of the Canmore Nordic Centre, where the Canadian cross-country teams train.

“It is one of the best facilities in the world and Paralympians and Olympians need the Nordic Centre to succeed,” she said. “Our team has received so much support in Canada through our personal sponsors, government and Own the Podium. All Canadians have made the difference for us, and I am so grateful for everything we have as athletes today.”

Weldon places fifth

Visually impaired Nordic skier Robbi Weldon, who had just skied a strong race to finish fifth in the Paralympic women’s 15-kilometre event, admitted to having been inspired by other Canadian successes taking place around her.

During the final leg of her three-loop race with guide Brian Berry on Monday (March 15) at Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park, the athlete from Thunder Bay, Ont., said she thought about what Canadian teammate Brian McKeever had done earlier in the day to become the first Canadian to win Paralympic gold on home soil.

“I just thought on the third lap, ‘He was sick today and so was his guide (McKeever’s brother and guide) Robin,’ so I can’t complain,” Weldon said of the McKeevers, who had come into Monday’s race suffering from colds.

“Then Colette Bourgonje yesterday (March 14) getting a silver was inspiring. She’s a legend in our sport.”

Germany’s Verena Bentele, one of the most decorated Paralympians ever, captured gold with a time of 45 minutes, 11.1 seconds, more than three minutes ahead of second-place Liubov Vasilyeva of Russia. Yadviha Skorabahataya of Belarus captured the bronze.

Weldon said she was pleased with her effort.

“It’s our longest race of the week and the strategy was to be strong and steady for the first two laps and then pour it on on the third lap,” Weldon said. “I felt like I put everything together and had the best race I could today.”

Canada’s Margarita Gorbounova placed seventh. Canadian Courtney Knight did not start the race.

Barber sixth in standing event

Jody Barber of Smithers said she worked extremely hard during the women’s 15-kilometre standing event on Monday, and it resulted in a solid sixth-place finish.

“My goal going in was to leave it all out on the course and that’s what I did,” said Barber, who finished six minutes, 32.5 seconds behind gold-medal winner Anna Burmistrova of Russia. Iulia Batenkova of Ukraine finished a close second, just 7.5 seconds behind, while Katarzyna Rogowiec of Poland took the bronze.