Robbi Weldon (born 6 September 1975) is a Canadian visually impaired Paralympic Nordic skier and

Para-cyclist Para-cycling (or Paracycling) is the sport of cycling adapted for cyclists who have various disabilities. It is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The sport consists of seven different events which include road and track races. T ...

who has competed in the

2010 Winter Paralympics ) , nations = 44 , athletes = 506 , events = 64 in 5 sports , opening = 12 March , closing = 21 March , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Zach Beaumont , stadium = BC Place , winter_pr ...

2014 Winter Paralympics The 2014 Winter Paralympics (russian: Зимние Паралимпийские игры 2014, Zimniye Paralimpiyskiye igry 2014), the 11th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, were a ...

and in the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...

. She has also participated in the 2011 Guadalajara Parapan Ams. She won five medals, all of which are all gold. Weldon started skiing at the age of three and in 2010, she started Para-Cycling. Her guide for Para-Cycling is

Lyne Bessette Lyne Bessette (born 10 March 1975, Lac Brome, Quebec) is a politician and retired professional bicycle racer from Quebec, Canada. She was elected to represent the riding of Brome—Missisquoi in the 2019 federal election as a member of the ...

and her guide for Para-Skiing is

Phil Wood Phil Wood (born 29 December 1953) was a New Zealand triple jump competitor who still holds the current national triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, ...

Personal life

Weldon was born on 6 September 1975 in

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its populatio ...

and now lives in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. She started downhill skiing at the age of three. She was diagnosed with

Stargardt disease Stargardt disease is the most common inherited single-gene retinal disease. In terms of the first description of the disease, it follows an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern, which has been later linked to bi-allelic ABCA4 gene variants ( ...

in 1990 at the age of 15 , affecting her central vision. Weldon took up the sport of

Para-Nordic skiing Paralympic Nordic skiing is a Winter Paralympics sport consisting of biathlon and cross-country skiing. The sport is governed by the International Paralympic Committee, with its subcommittee for Nordic skiing known as World Para Nordic Skiing. P ...

in 2002, and in 2010 she took up the sport of

Para-cycling Para-cycling (or Paracycling) is the sport of cycling adapted for cyclists who have various disabilities. It is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The sport consists of seven different events which include road and track races. T ...

after attending a Western Canada Development Camp. She is a mother of two children which Weldon took with her when competing in the 2012 London Paralympics. She hopes that the trip would inspire them. "My children have benefited greatly from my lifestyle of physical activity and being healthy... meeting para-athletes that are competing at an elite level and are so inspirational." Weldon said.

Career

Weldon did not win any medals in skiing at the

but was "thrilled" by the experience. At the

2011 Parapan American Games The 4th Parapan American Games took place from November 12 to 20 in Guadalajara, Mexico. The Games are an international multi-sport event for athletes with a physical disability. The Games were held 20 days after the 2011 Pan American Games beg ...

, Weldon participated in

para-cycling Para-cycling (or Paracycling) is the sport of cycling adapted for cyclists who have various disabilities. It is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The sport consists of seven different events which include road and track races. T ...

and won four gold medals with guide

. They won gold at the Mixed Time Trial, Women's Road Race, Women's individual track pursuit, and the Women's 1 Kilometre Time. She said that "it's very helpful having Lyne. She is such an experienced cyclist and she has taught me a lot." The pair had also been selected to be the flag bearers at the closing ceremony. Weldon and guide Bessette won one gold medal in the 2012 London Paralympics, in the Cycling at the 80-kilometre road race. They finished with a time of 2:08:26, 33 seconds ahead of Josefa Guzman Benitez and guide Maria Noriega. After the competition, Weldon said "I am very happy. Lyne and I are thrilled about this golden performance... We had respect for everyone." Weldon competed at the

with Phil Wood as guide. It was the pair's first championship together but they did not win any medals. Wood said that "Skiing as a team when done well can add 10 to 15 per cent improvement in a single performance."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weldon, Robbi 1975 births Living people Biathletes at the 2010 Winter Paralympics Biathletes at the 2014 Winter Paralympics Canadian blind people Canadian female biathletes Canadian female cross-country skiers Canadian female cyclists Cyclists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Paralympic biathletes for Canada Paralympic cyclists for Canada Paralympic gold medalists for Canada Paralympic medalists in cycling Medalists at the 2011 Parapan American Games Medalists at the 2015 Parapan American Games 21st-century Canadian women