Cindy Ouellet

Paralympian and doctoral student in biomedical engineering

Cindy Ouellet embodies resilience and perseverance. This Quebec athlete, who is a four-time Paralympian in wheelchair basketball and one-time Paralympian in Para-Nordic skiing is the first woman in the province to take part in Summer and Winter Games. Beyond her sporting achievements, Cindy is a fighter.

It is at the age of 12, back when she was a promising alpine skier, that her life takes a completely new direction; she is diagnosed with bone cancer. It is the beginning of a long-winded battle against a resilient opponent. Despite 28 chemotherapy treatments and a complete reconstruction of the left side of her pelvis, sports continue to be part of her life.

As she is always abreast of new challenges to take up, a physiotherapist points her in the direction of wheelchair basketball. Thanks to her growing success, Cindy works her way up the ladder and achieves the highest level of the sport at an incredible speed, thereby leading her to the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. In 2014, her team wins the gold medal at the World Championships in Toronto. She will relive her Paralympic dream again in 2012 and 2016. Cindy strives for new challenges. As if being an accomplished Summer Olympian wasn’t enough, Cindy took on Para-Nordic skiing and soon enough she found herself in the race for a spot on the Olympic Team, which she qualified for only two months before the Games. The Tokyo Paralympics was her fourth in wheelchair basketball. Although it was not the happy ending Cindy was hoping for, it’s safe to believe that the next time will be the right time!

Did you know?

Cindy undertook a doctorate degree in biomedical engineering and is also an accomplished pianist.

International Achievements

• Female athlete of the decade (Sport Québec) 2022
• Member of the national wheelchair basketball team at the summer Paralympic Games in Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo
• Member of the national paranordic team at the winter Paralympic Games in PyeongChang
• Silver medalist at the Para Pan-American Games in Toronto