Local athlete to carry Canada’s flag at Paralympics

North Okanagan wheelchair curler Ina Forrest and hockey player Greg Westlake will carry Canada’s flag into Friday’s opening ceremony of the Beijing Paralympic Winter Games.

It’s the first time Paralympic flag-bearer duties will be shared by two Canadian athletes.

Westlake and Forrest are two of Canada’s most decorated winter Paralympians.

Forrest, a 59-year-old from Spallumcheen, captured gold at the 2010 and 2014 Paralympics, plus bronze four years ago in Pyeongchang. She also has three world titles.

According to her bio from the Canadian Paralympic Committee, Forrest and her husband Curtis are small business owners and have three children. At age 21, she was hit by a drunk driver and was paralyzed. For the next 21 years, Forrest didn’t even consider sports focusing on her studies and family. She is also a certified scuba diver.

The 35-year-old Westlake, from Oakville, Ont., is playing in his fifth Paralympics, and is keen to see Canada reclaim top spot on the medal podium after losing the gold-medal game against the United States in 2018.

Westlake won gold in 2006 and bronze in 2014.

The Paralympics open Friday and run through March 13.

Nordic skiing star Brian McKeever, a 17-time Paralympic medallist, was Canada’s flag-bearer at the opening ceremony four years ago in South Korea. Para judo athlete Priscilla Gagne carried the Maple Leaf into the opening ceremony at the Tokyo Summer Paralympics in August.