Badenhorst to lead Australian Paralympic Team for PyeongChang

NSWIS Para Snowboarder Joany Badenhorst will join two-time Paralympian Mitchell Gourley as co-captain of the Australian Paralympic Team for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games in March.

The Australian Paralympic Committee is currently preparing to send approximately 11 athletes plus three guides from the two sports to the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games.

The first female to represent Australia in Para Snowboard, Badenhorst has an extensive list of accolades.

Set to make her Paralympic debut in Sochi, Badenhorst crashed on a final training run just minutes before her first race, breaking her patella dislocating her knee and collapsing her hip.

The crash only seemed to strengthen her resolve to achieve global success. Since then she has won one silver and two bronze World Championships medals, gold at World Cup events and this year, won the IPC Crystal Glove in Snowboard Cross – a moment she names as her career highlight.

“Being named team co-captain for me is a really big honour, as a senior member of the Australian snow sport team, I’m really excited to be a mentor and really work with the team to make sure that we establish incredibly good and a supportive team culture as we head over to PyeongChang.

“I want to be able to help give everyone the opportunity to be the best and do the best they can to represent Australia well.

“I’m really excited to get Australia behind us as well. Australia is not necessarily known for Winter but Australia is one of the most incredible countries where they support their athletes no matter what, so I think this is going to be great, and I can’t wait to show Australia what us as a team can achieve,” Badenhorst said.

The PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games will take place from 9-18 March in South Korea.