January 26, 2014 - 6:19 PM
KELOWNA, B.C. - Canada Snowboard and the Canadian Paralympic Committee nominated three para-snowboarders to the Canadian Paralympic team on Sunday.
Tyler Mosher of Whistler, B.C., Ian Lockey of Rossland, B.C., and John Leslie of Arnprior, Ont., will compete in Sochi next month, where para-snowboarding will make it's Paralympic debut.
Mosher was the 2009 para-snowboard world champion. He has won three IPC World Cup gold medals and was a Vancouver 2010 Paralympian in para-Nordic skiing.
"It's quite overwhelming to believe that 10 years ago snowboarding for people with a disability didn't exist and now we're going to Sochi and the first ever Paralympic Games," said Mosher. "It's exciting to see young people racing with us who will be the next generation of snowboarding leaders within the Paralympic movement.
"It's a true honour to be able to represent your country and exhibit your best effort towards excellence."
Lockey won a world championship bronze medal in 2009 while Leslie, in his first year on the World Cup circuit, won his first IPC World Cup medals — two bronze — at Copper Mountain, Colo., two weeks ago.
The Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games will take place from Mar. 7 to 16. Men's and women's para-snowboard will race in Sochi on Mar. 14.
Canada will send approximately 50 athletes to compete in sledge hockey, wheelchair curling, para-Nordic skiing, biathlon, para-alpine skiing and para-snowboard with a goal of placing in the top three nations in the gold medal count.
Nomination to the Canadian Paralympic team is ongoing. The full team will be officially unveiled in February.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014