Michelle Stilwell


Michelle Stilwell is a Canadian wheelchair racer and politician. She is the only female Paralympic athlete to win gold medals in two separate summer sport events. Stilwell was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as a BC Liberal candidate for Parksville-Qualicum in the 2013 provincial election. She represented Canada at the 2000 Summer Paralympics, 2008 Summer Paralympics, and 2012 Summer Paralympics.

Early life and education

Stilwell was born on July 4, 1974, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. While attending River East Collegiate, she broke her neck from a fall and became an incomplete quadriplegic. After the accident, she competed in wheelchair basketball, through which she met her husband Mark at the 1996 National Championships in Montreal. Stilwell eventually moved to Calgary where she completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Calgary in 1999.

Paralympic career

Stilwell stayed in Calgary from 1997 until 2000 to train for the Canada women's national wheelchair basketball team. She competed as a reserve for Team Canada at the 2000 Paralympic Games, where her team won a gold medal. Afterwards, Stilwell, her husband Mark, and their newborn son moved to Vancouver Island.
However, Stilwell was forced to forgo wheelchair basketball after undergoing surgery for a herniated brain stem. Although was unable to compete at a national level, Stilwell continued to play basketball locally where she was spotted by Coach Peter Lawless, who convinced her to try for wheelchair racing. Stilwell qualified for the 2008 Paralympic Games where she won two gold medals in the woman's T52 200m and 100m events. This was followed by three gold medals and one silver at the 2011 World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand.
At the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Stilwell defended her Paralympic gold medal in the women's 200m in 33.80 seconds, shattering her Games record by over two seconds. Four days later, Stilwell captured a silver medal in the 100m after mishap caused her to fall behind Marieke Vervoort. The following year, she competed in the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships and set a new world record in the women's T52 class 800 metres.
In 2016, her last Paralympic Games, Stilwell earned a gold medal while also setting a Paralympics record during the T52 wheelchair 400 metres race, with a time of one minute and 5.42 seconds. The following year, Stilwell announced her retirement from competitive sports and was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame.

Political career

In 2013, Stilwell campaigned to become the BC Liberal candidate for Parksville-Qualicum in the 2013 provincial election. She was eventually elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia served as Caucus Chair and Parliamentary Secretary for Healthy Living and Seniors for two years before being sworn in as Minister for Social Development and Social Innovation.

Electoral record