Dennis Thiessen
Dennis Thiessen (born April 20, 1961, in Crystal City, Manitoba) is a wheelchair curler who was part of the winning team in wheelchair curling for Canada at the 2014 Winter Paralympics. He played on the winning Canadian team at the 2013 World Wheelchair Curling Championship. His disability is that at seventeen he lost his leg.[1] He is the only Manitoban on the team and lives in Sanford, Manitoba.[2]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Citizenship | Canada |
| Born | April 20, 1961 |
| Height | 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) |
| Weight | 76 kg (168 lb) |
Medal record | |
He was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 2019.[3]
Personal edit
Thiessen was born in Crystal City, Manitoba on April 20, 1961, and now resides in Sanford, Manitoba. He is married and has 2 children. In 1978, when Thiessen was 17 years old, he had an accident in his family's farm and had lost his leg. He was suggested to give wheelchair curling a try in 2005.[4] He said that he was really inspired by another Manitoban winter sportsperson Cindy Klassen and that she was "the ultimate professional and a great representative of Canada".[5] He had also started the organization "Manitoba Farmers with Disabilities".[5]
Career edit
Sochi 2014 edit
At the age of 52, Thiessen has competed in his first Paralympic Games, he made the tryout two years before in 2012. After seeing the team, he said that "It was just an unbelievable feeling,"[6] Canada won the spot at the top of the podium by beating Russia 8–3. "It was an emotional high" explained Thiessen who has just won his first Paralympic Medal.[7]
References edit
- ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
- ^ Geary, Andrea (2013-12-19). "Winnipeg Free Press". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
- ^ "Curling Canada honours 2019 Hall of Fame inductees, annual award-winners". Curling Canada. 2019-03-05.
- ^ "Dennis Thiessen". Canadian Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
- ^ a b "THIESSEN, Dennis — Athlete Bios — CBC". CBC.ca. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
- ^ "Manitoba Paralympian Dennis Thiessen Prepares For Sochi - Pembinavalleyonline.com". pembinavalleyonline.com. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
- ^ "Canada wins Paralympic gold in wheelchair curling". thechronicleherald.ca. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
External links edit
- Dennis Thiessen at World Curling
- Dennis Thiessen at Paralympic.org
- Dennis Thiessen at the Canadian Paralympic Committee
- Dennis Thiessen at the Canadian Paralympic Committee