Lauren Woolstencroft, the top-scoring Paralympian of the 2010 Games and one of Canada’s most decorated athletes, has announced her retirement from competitive sports. On June 17, the 28-year-old electrical engineer announced that she’s leaving her division, standing alpine skiing, in order to exit at the top of her career. In Vancouver, Woolstencroft earned five gold medals-one for each of her events-and set the record for the most gold medals earned by any athlete at a Winter Paralympiad. The congenital triple amputee holds more than 50 medals from world-class events, including being crowned the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) world champion eight times.
Woolstencroft works for BC Hydro and helped design much of the power infrastructure for the 2010 Games. “I’m always non-traditional,” she said of her upcoming plans. “I’ve learned a lot about competition and leadership-both are about setting goals and achieving them. If you say, ‘Do I feel that I have any disabilities?’ I feel I can do everything just as well as anyone else can.”
