North Vancouver native Sonja Gaudet won a third gold medal at the Sochi Paralympics Saturday, a historic achievement for herself and the rest of the Canadian wheelchair curling team.
Gaudet, who was nominated as Canada's flagbearer at the opening ceremony for the Paralympics, is the first curler to win three Paralympic gold medals, having played on both the 2006 and 2010 teams in Torino and Vancouver, respectively.
Gaudet continues to hold the title of most decorated wheelchair curler in the world with additional medal victories at the World Wheelchair Curling Championships.
As second to skip Jim Armstrong, Gaudet played a key role in helping Canada defeat the host Russians 8-3 in Saturday's final, after beating the Chinese team 5-4 earlier the same day.
The events were marked by a spirit of sportsmanship, with Armstrong saying of the Chinese competitors, "They're real sportsmen on the ice," adding, "that their country should be very proud," according to a Paralympic press release.
"It feels fantastic," third Ina Forrest said about the gold medal win. "The game felt so smooth and comfortable."
Gaudet, now a resident of Vernon, and the rest of the team arrived back in Canada on Monday, landing at Toronto's Pearson International Airport before heading home.
The curlers' win helped bring the country's total gold medal count up to seven, making Canada third in the final standings behind Germany's nine and Russia's 30.
