Six athletes hailing from British Columbia are bringing home eight medals from the Rio 2016 Paralympic Summer Games, including multiple medalists Tristen Chernove of Cranbrook (pictured) and Michelle Stilwell, provincial Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation.

A total of 44 athletes with a connection to the province competed at the games in 14 different sports. This includes athletes with a hometown outside of B.C., but who train in the province. Of those, provincially-affiliated athletes earned 34% of the Canadian Olympic Team’s total medal count: three gold, four silver and three bronze medals, noted a joint press release from the Office of the Premier and Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development.

“This province is very proud of our paralympic athletes and their success on the world stage. It takes courage, hard work and dedication to compete in the Paralympic Games, and these athletes demonstrated remarkable poise as they competed and brought admiration home to our entire country – along with an impressive number of medals. That’s something all British Columbians can be proud of,” stated Christy Clark, Premier of British Columbia.

Athletes from British Columbia who earned medals at the games include:

* Tristen Chernove, Cranbrook – athletics – gold, silver, bronze;

* Michelle Stilwell, Parksville – athletics – gold x2;

* Liam Stanley, Victoria – athletics – silver;

* Tristan Smyth, Maple Ridge – athletics – bronze;

* Jackie Gay, Victoria – sailing – silver;

* John McRoberts, Victoria – sailing – silver.

In total, Canada won 29 medals: eight gold; 10 silver and 11 bronze.

“The sport system that we have in British Columbia is one of the best in Canada. Our local athletes delivered remarkable results at the Paralympic Games, which shows how our state-of-the-art facilities and relentless coaches can train and motivate our athletes from the playground to podium success,” said Peter Fassbender, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development.

“The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games were an electrifying 11 days for Canada as a nation with B.C.-supported athletes doing their part to thrill audiences. 34% of the medals at these games were won by B.C.-supported athletes, contributing to Canada’s impressive 14th place finish in the medal standings. We at the Canadian Sport Institute Pacific are extremely proud to work with these hard-working, dedicated and #ParaTough athletes and coaches in the daily training environment, as well as on the ground in Rio,” stated Wendy Pattenden, CEO, Canadian Sport Institute Pacific.

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