In 2004, a harrowing freestyle skiing accident left Josh Dueck a full paraplegic. While his spine may have been damaged, his determination to continue in the sport he loved was not. Just five years after sustaining his injuries, Josh became the 2009 Para-Alpine World Champion. He then took a silver medal at the 2010 Olympic Games, and—perhaps most poignantly—won a silver medal on the 10th anniversary of his accident at the 2014 Olympic Games. Days later, he won another medal—this time a gold—and was named Canada’s Flag Bearer at the Games. Today, after his incredibly successful career, Josh announced his retirement from competition. He plans to remain involved in the sport as much as possible and will continue to inspire audiences the world over to overcome obstacles and achieve their dreams in all of his presentations.

In addition to his World Champion titles and Olympic medals, Josh won gold in Mono Skier X at the 2011 X Games, bronze at the 2012 X Games. He has also won multiple IPC World Cup podiums, and was the first paraplegic to land a backflip on a sit-ski, a move that attracted so much global attention that he was invited to appear on The Ellen Degeneres Show.

Josh is an ambassador for the Rick Hansen Foundation; is the vice president for the LIVE it LOVE it Foundation for Youth; was a 2012 finalist for National Geographic’s “Adventurer of the Year;” and the documentary that features him, Freedom Chair, has won numerous film festival awards.  Josh is also a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Recipient.