Sonja Gaudet, Canada's Paralympic flag-bearer, readies for Games
Sonja Gaudet has won 2 gold medals at the 2006, 2010 Games respectively
Two-time gold medallist Sonja Gaudet will be Canada's flag-bearer at the 2014 Paralympic Games, which start in Sochi, Russia on Friday.
Being able to play on the Canadian women's curling team and compete for her third gold medal allows Gaudet to turn a difficult accident "into something good," she told CBC's The National.
In 1997, Gaudet suffered a spinal cord injury, which left her paralyzed from the chest down, after a horseback riding accident.
But she didn't take to curling immediately afterwards. Unlike many athletes who hone their sport from childhood, Gaudet says it wasn't until 2003 that she first went curling.
That didn't stop her from winning a gold medal at the 2006 and 2010 Paralympic Games. Just last year, Gaudet was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame.
Gaudet says she's "been so blessed to be a part of a great team, great coaching staff [and] spoiled by the Canadian Curling Association."
For her, the Paralympic Games are a time to show her true athleticism.
"It's a high-class level of competition for athletes with a physical disability. Everyone has their challenges and so, for me, it's about being able to share that," she says. "Giving up just isn't an option."