Tyler Turner of Campbell River wasn’t expecting a second snowboarding medal in the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics and said he surprised even himself by taking bronze early Friday in the men’s SB-LL1 banked slalom.
The Islander won a celebrated gold this week in his specialty event, the SB-LL1 snowboard-cross, for sa国际传媒’s first Winter Paralympics snowboarding medal. Turner added to that total by rallying from sixth place after the first run to the podium in banked slalom.
“This is a bonus bronze medal. I had no expectations today,” said Turner.
“Winning two medals is more than I came here to do. I came here and wanted to win a medal in snowboard cross. After that gold medal, I didn’t even suspect this was a possibility to win two medals, and so I guess it shows what happens when you just keep it simple and have fun.”
That has been his philosophy following some dark times emotionally after the sky-diving accident at Woodwynn Farm in 2017 that caused both his legs to be amputated below the knees.
Turner, competing on prosthetic legs, is a regular boarder on the snow at Mount Washington and on the waves in Tofino. He attributed the former for his bronze medal in the Winter Paralympics because he and his friends practise boarding off the banks all the time on Mount Washington.
“This was like banked slalom in the spring at home with friends,” said Turner.
“So this was loose, this was free, this was fun. I think that gave me an advantage to have no pressure on me at all. In snowboard cross, my heart was pounding all day. I put a lot of pressure on myself to perform there. I would have been happy with a podium, but I wanted that gold so bad. But here, I told all my friends and family, watch and it’ll be fun. I’ll wave ‘Hi,’ but my chances of a medal are really slim.”
Turner’s was another triumph in this cycle for athletes from Mount Washington, following Comox freestyle skier Cassie Sharpe’s silver medal last month in the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Turner also follows in the path of Island Paralympics legends, including multi-medallists Richard Peter in wheelchair basketball, Michelle Stilwell in wheelchair track and Stephanie Dixon and Michael Edgson in swimming from the Summer Games and skier Lauren Woolstencroft in the Winter Games. It’s a tradition that continued with Island track athlete Nate Riech’s gold medal in the 1,500 metres last summer in the Tokyo Paralympics.
