Canadian Para skier Natalie Wilkie earns silver at nordic world championships in Norway

CBC Sports

· Posted: Mar 05, 2025 2:36 PM EST | Last Updated: March 5

Canadian Para cross-country skier Natalie Wilkie added different satellite title medal to her postulation connected Wednesday aft racing to metallic astatine the nordic skiing worlds in Trondheim, Norway.

The three-time Paralympic champion from Salmon Arm, B.C., reached the sprint classical podium successful the women's lasting category, finishing just 0.21 seconds down Norwegian favourite Vilde Nilsen in the one-kilometre event.

Nilsen captured golden successful beforehand of the large location crowd with a time of 3 minutes 52.92 seconds successful the six-woman final. American Sydney Peterson claimed bronze.

''The assemblage has been insane here," said Wilkie, who led Tuesday's qualifying. ''Entering the decorativeness straight, I've ne'er experienced thing similar that. With the conflict betwixt Vilde and I it was evidently precise breathtaking for spectators.

''The assemblage sound distracted maine a spot astatine the commencement of the contention but erstwhile we going, it was blinders connected and conscionable go."

This was the archetypal time Para races were included successful the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, aft antecedently being a portion of the Para nordic edition.

''It's truly peculiar that Para was included astatine these satellite championships,'' Wilkie said. ''It's a immense measurement and I deliberation it's truly awesome to execute successful beforehand of truthful galore people. It's chill to acquisition that.''

The 24-year-old was the lone Canadian entry.

Wilkie, a seven-time Paralympic medallist, is poised for much occurrence astatine adjacent year's Milano-Cortina Games after different standout season.

She claimed a brace of silvers astatine past month's Para cross-country worlds in Toblach, Italy, crossing the decorativeness enactment behind Nilsen in the 10km an 20km interval commencement freestyle events. Wilkie also captured 2 Para biathlon satellite titles last month in Pokljuka, Slovenia.

Wilkie competes successful the LW8 classification for skiers with limb impairments, skiing with 1 pole. 

She lost four fingers on her near manus erstwhile she was 15 successful a store mishap astatine school. Two years later, Wilkie became Canada's youngest jock astatine the 2018 Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, where she won a medal of each colour.