2010 Olympic Gold Medallist
1992 BC Summer Games

Growing up on Vancouver’s North Shore, being involved in sport and physical activity was part of Maëlle Rickers’ world.  She was a multi-sport athlete involved in soccer, basketball, field hockey and track and field.  It was on the track that she experienced her first multi-sport Games at the 1992 and 1993 BC Summer Games.

Her love of the mountains won her over and she quickly became an elite athlete in snowboarding competing at her first Olympics at the age of 19 in Nagano.  After missing the 2002 Olympics due to injury she returned in 2006 only to crash in the final.  It was in her backyard at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games when Maëlle made her mark winning gold and becoming the first Canadian female athlete to ever win gold on home soil.  She continues to dominate in snowboard cross winning the 2013 World Championships and will be part of the Canadian team in Sochi in 2014.

"I went to the 1992 and 1993 BC Summer Games where I learned the importance of leadership, teamwork, and hard work.  The coaches and support staff were outstanding and the atmosphere of being around athletes from a variety of sports was unreal. Wearing the official BC uniform, walking in the parade, sleeping in classrooms at the designated schools, and finally racing on the track against my competitors are a few of my found memories. The countless hours of training that I put in to earn a spot on the BC team was a huge deal. I learned to set goal realistically, to eat properly, to train smartly, and to perform optimally when the pressure was on.  These skills learned from the BC Games were not just track and field skills. They are all life skills that have helped me stand on top of the podium at the 2010 Olympics and helped me be the person I am today."

Check out Maelle’s profile on Olympic.ca, follow her on Twitter @maellericker, and check out this story.

Have a look at the video Maelle filmed for the BC Games athletes shortly after her win in Vancouver.