Margarita Gorbounova - Para-Nordic Skiing

Paralympians and para-nordic skiing are things that run in the family for Margarita Gorbounova. It was her parents, both of whom are visually impaired, that introduced Margarita to cross-country skiing. Her mother (a Para-Nordic skier) is a gold and silver medalist from the 1992 Albertville Paralympics, and her father (a middle distance runner) has a silver and gold medal from the European Championships. In addition to training for the Paralympics, Gorbounova is a graduate of the University of Ottawa where she studied translation and interpretation.

General Information:

Date of Birth: July 1, 1984
Birthplace: St. Petersburg, Russia
Residence: Ottawa, Ontario
Height/Weight: 163 cm/ 63 kg
Coach: Robin McKeever, Kaspar Wirz
Twitter: @MGourbounova
CPC: http://paralympic.ca/margarita-gorbounova
IPC: http://ipc.infostradasports.com/asp/lib/theasp.asp?pageid=8937&sportid=-567&personid=919292&refreshauto=1

Colette Bourgonje - Para-Nordic Skiing

Colette Bourgonje will be competing in her 10th Paralympic Games when she travels to Sochi with Team Canada. Colette has represented Canada at both the summer (as a wheelchair racer) and winter Paralympics, winning eight medals in total. Bourgonje was also the first Canadian Paralympian to win a medal on home soil. Outside of sport, Colette was the first University of Saskatchewan Physical Education graduate who used a wheelchair and then went on to obtain her teaching certificate.

General Information:

Date of Birth: January 17, 1962
Birthplace: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Residence: Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
Height/Weight: 170 cm/ 48 kg
Coach: Robin McKeever, Kaspar Wirz, Bruce Craven
CPC: http://paralympic.ca/colette-bourgonje
CCCSKI: http://www.cccski.com/National-Ski-Team/Athlete-Information/Para-Nordic-World-Cup-Team/Colette-Bourgonje.aspx
IPC: http://ipc.infostradasports.com/asp/lib/theasp.asp?pageid=8937&sportid=-567&personid=919270&refreshauto=1