Wheelchair racer Petitclerc headlines Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame class

OTTAWA – Decorated wheelchair racer Chantal Petitclerc headlines the Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame class of 2015.

The Montreal native is among seven inductees who will officially enter the hall Nov. 27 in Ottawa.

Petitclerc has 21 Paralympic medals, including 14 gold. She is a former Canadian Press female athlete of the year and winner of the Lou Marsh Award as Canada’s athlete of the year.

She will be joined in the athlete category by wheelchair basketball player Marni Abbott-Peter of Vancouver and para-alpine skier Lauren Woolstencroft of North Vancouver, B.C.

Abbott-Peter led Canada to three Paralympic and three world titles while Woolstencroft captured 10 Paralympic medals in her career, including eight gold.

The late Wilf Strom of Winnipeg, who coached blind swimming, will enter in the coaching category while his wife Audrey Strom will enter as a builder for her efforts to introduce innovative rule changes for blind swimmers.

Dr. Donald Royer of Sherbrooke, Que., and the late Gary McPherson of Edmonton will also enter as builders. Royer has been an advocate of athletes with a disability as a coach, referee, researcher, team leader, judge, board member, administrator and federation delegate. McPherson spent more than 20 years in wheelchair sports administration, including eight years as president of the Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association.

The inductees will be acknowledged in the Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame Honoured Members section in the Olympic and Paralympic Gallery at Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary.