Josh Dueck (born January 13, 1981) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

alpine skier Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether ...

. He won a silver medal at the

2010 Winter Paralympics The 2010 Winter Paralympics (), or the tenth Paralympic Winter Games, were held in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, from March 12 to 21, 2010. The opening ceremony took place in BC Place Stadium in Vancouver and the Closing ...

in the men's slalom sit-ski event. On February 3, 2012, Josh became the first person to perform a backflip on snow in a Sit Ski.Inspirational and Amazing Freeski Backflip Done by Paraplegic Athlete Josh Dueck
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Personal life

Dueck was born on January 13, 1981, in

Kimberley, British Columbia Kimberley is a city in southeast British Columbia, Canada along British Columbia Highway 95A, Highway 95A between the Purcell Mountains, Purcell and Rocky Mountains. Kimberley was named in 1896 after the Kimberley, Northern Cape, Kimberley mine i ...

and now resides at

Vernon, British Columbia Vernon is a city in the Okanagan region of the British Columbia Interior, Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is northeast of Vancouver. Named after Forbes George Vernon, a former Member of the Legislative Assembly, MLA of British ...

. He was a former freestyle skier and coach before he became disabled. He became disabled when he overshot a demonstration jump in March 2004, breaking his back and left him as a T11 classification. He told reporters, "I knew deeply and intuitively that it was a bad idea".

Career

Vancouver 2010

Dueck has entered the 2010 Paralympics just 6 years after he became disabled. He won silver at the slalom for a time of 1:24.19. "I had a line in mind and I was able to stick to it. I took some chances, got lucky. Pretty sure I had some angels on my side for a few of those gates I was just clipping. Second is awesome." the 33-year-old said.

Accomplishments

Dueck won both silver and gold medals at the

2014 Winter Paralympics The 2014 Winter Paralympics (), the 11th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, were an international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Par ...

in Sochi, Russia, as well as a silver medal at the

in Vancouver. As a sit-skier, he has also won gold in mono skier X at the 2011 Winter X Games, bronze at the 2012 Winter X Games, and has won multiple IPC World Cup podiums and is the 2009 world downhill champion. In February 2012, Dueck became the first sit-skier to complete a backflip on snow,– earning him world-wide notoriety and an appearance on ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The show ran for nineteen seasons from September 8, 2003, to May 26, 2022, in which it broadcast 3,339 episodes. It was produced by ...

''. He is an advocate for workplace safety and accessibility in sport, and in 2013 gave a

TED Talk TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "Ideas Change Everything" (previously "Ideas Worth Sprea ...

about his experiences.

References

External links

* * * *
YouTube: Josh Dueck's Story

YouTube: Behind the Drive: Josh Dueck
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dueck, Josh 1981 births Living people Canadian male alpine skiers Paralympic alpine skiers for Canada Paralympic gold medalists for Canada Paralympic silver medalists for Canada Paralympic medalists in alpine skiing Alpine skiers at the 2010 Winter Paralympics Alpine skiers at the 2014 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 2010 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 2014 Winter Paralympics X Games competitors 21st-century Canadian sportsmen