Chantal was born on December 15, 1969 in Saint-Marc-des-Carrières, Québec. At the age of 13, she lost the use of her legs following an accident. Convincing her to take up swimming in order to develop her strength and stamina, her high school physical education teacher, Gaston Jacques, would have a decisive impact on her life. For Chantal, that was her first contact with sport and training. Four years later, she would discover wheelchair athletics, paving the way for a long and very successful career which would take her to the Barcelona Games in 1992, and ultimately, to the Beijing Games in 2008.Chantal was born on December 15, 1969 in Saint-Marc-des-Carrières in Quebec. At the age of thirteen, she lost the use of both legs in an accident. Gaston Jacques, a high school physical education teacher, was to have a decisive influence on her life when he convinced her to try swimming to develop her physical strength and stamina. It was Chantal’s first contact with sports and training.
My friend Gaston Jacques and some pictures from my first races.
Chantal Petitclerc returned from the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games with 5 gold medals, 2 new world records and 1 new Paralympic record, making her the most celebrated track athlete in history as well as the only Canadian athlete to have won gold medals at the Olympics, Paralympics and Commonwealth Games.
Her career in numbers:
- Five Paralympic Games (Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney, Athens, Beijing)
- 21 Paralympic medals (including 14 gold medals)
- 5 world records (100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m)
- 5 Paralympic records (100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m)
- 1 Olympic gold medal in the 800m (demonstration sport)
Chantal has received several recognitions for her sporting career, including being appointed Chevalier de l’Ordre du Québec (2005), being named Personality of the Year by La Presse newspaper (2004) and receiving the Laureus international award (2005). Other recognition:
- Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (first female paralympian to be inducted)
- Companion of the Order of Canada
- Lou Marsh Trophy as Canadian athlete of the year
- Star on Canada's Walk of Fame
- International Paralympic Committee Female athlete of the year
- La Presse Sports personality of the year
- Honorary Doctorate, University of Ottawa
- 2010 United States Sports Academy’s (USSA) Juan Antonio Samaranch IOC Disabled Athlete Award.
While the Beijing Games would be the last time she would be participating in track competitions, Chantal Petitclerc nevertheless continues to train as she intends to take part in road marathons over the next few years. Chantal Petitclerc is a highly sought after speaker, and shares her story with dozens of groups each year, both throughout Canada and abroad. She participates in projects by various Paralympic athletics and sports organizations, in addition to working as a spokesperson for Défi Sportif in Montréal and as an ambassador for the international Right to Play organization. In 2010, Chantal was elected to the boards of the Canadian Paralympic Committee and of the Canadian Center for Ethics in Sport.
