The Canadian Paralympic Committee is pleased to profile the three nominees for Canada's flag bearer in the opening ceremonies at the Paralympic Games September 17-28. Today we profile Chantal Benoit, wheelchair basketball, originally from St-Hilaire, Que., and now living in Orleans, Ont.

August 10, 2004

Canadian wheelchair basketball ace Chantal Benoit heads to her sixth Paralympic Games this September

OTTAWA- Chantal Benoit is a legend in the sport of wheelchair basketball and is one of Canada's best known athletes with a disability. This September, the 44-year-old businesswoman heads to her sixth Paralympic Games.

''Time flies when you're having fun,'' said Benoit, whose dream to compete in diving at the Olympic was thwarted as a youngster when she lost a leg to cancer. ''I still feel like it is my first Games. The emotions and excitement are still just as strong as they've ever been. My passion for the sport is what keeps me going.''

Benoit, who resides in Orleans, Ont., just outside Ottawa but grew up in St-Hilaire, Que., made her Paralympic debut in 1984. Back then, the Games were unknown and struggling. Los Angeles, the Olympic host city that year, wasn't able to stage the Paralympic Games. Some events were held in Champaigne, Illnois and the rest, including wheelchair basketball, at Stoke Mandeville, England.

''For me, the first real Paralympic experience was in 1988 in Seoul,'' said Benoit. ''Walking in a stadium with 100,000 people was incredibly memorable. But my favorite Games were Barcelona in 1992. We were ranked fifth and the Canadian women's wheelchair basketball program was in big trouble. We went on to win an incredible gold medal that made all the hard work leading up well worth it.''

Benoit is often called the Michael Jordan of wheelchair basketball and she has many admirers around the world.

''I remember seeing Chantal in my first world championships in 1990 and I never could conceptualize someone being one with a wheelchair, but she is,'' said Julianne Adams of the Australian team. ''She is just so fluid, so dynamic and so tough. The combination of physical and mental is just to be admired. It's sensational.''

Canada faces its toughest challenge this year to retain its Paralympic title for a fourth consecutive Games. The U.S., and Australia- which lost to Canada in the 2000 Paralympic final- are the top challengers.

''Our preparations have gone extremely well,'' said Benoit, who runs RGK Wheelchairs Inc. with her partner Reg McClelland, plays on several local wheelchair basketball teams and travels out west once a month to play and train with the Los Angeles Sparks of the American League.

''We've played some tournaments that have allowed us to get everyone ready. It has also given us an opportunity to try different offensive and defensive strategies. We didn't win some of the tournaments but everyone is heading to Athens well prepared.''

With Chantal Benoit in the line-up it'll take a tour de force to dethrone the Canadians.

Wheelchair basketball has been a Paralympic sport since the first Paralympic Games in Rome in 1960. Wheelchair basketball is played by athletes using wheelchairs and whose disabilities may include paraplegia, lower limb amputations, cerebral palsy and polio. In general, any individual who is unable to participate in stand-up basketball as a result of a disabling condition, injury, etc. is eligible to play wheelchair basketball. Not all athletes who compete in wheelchair basketball will use a wheelchair for daily living.

The Paralympic Games are the largest multi-sport event for athletes with a physical disability. The 2004 Paralympic Summer Games run from September 17-28 in Athens, Greece. The Canadian team numbers 144 athletes from all 10 provinces who will compete in 13 of the 19 sports on the Games program.

Benoit is one of six Canadians headed to their sixth Paralympics. The others are Linda Kutrowski, also in wheelchair basketball and track and field athletes Clayton Gerein and Jacques Martin.

reprinted with permission