PATH TO PARIS: USask alum Shaw ready to race in Paralympics

Along the way, the prolific Para-cyclist also found the time to successfully defend her PhD thesis in December, started a new post-doctoral research position in January, and earned the prestigious Governor General’s Gold Medal in May in an unforgettable year of athletic and academic achievement for the award-winning University of Saskatchewan (USask) alumna.

“It has been a heck of a year and now with the Paralympics in August, it is quite the wild ride,” said Shaw, who earned her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, her master’s and her PhD in exercise science and nutrition at USask before moving to the University of Calgary this year to begin her post-doc. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend convocation because I was away training, but I was talking to one of the professors and he said, ‘How fitting is it that you can’t come because you are training for what is part of what makes you so deserving of the award.’ But I am hoping that maybe, in addition to the Governor General’s medal, we can win a couple more medals and come back to the university in the fall for a big celebration.”

A little rest might be just what the doctor ordered, but this Dr. Shaw has one more major test ahead of her, hoping that an appointment with destiny awaits as she prepares to fly to France. Shaw earned a bronze medal in the C4 women’s individual pursuit in the (pandemic-delayed) Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, the only medal won by a Saskatchewan athlete there. Will Paris provide the most memorable medal moment of her career?

“Obviously winning Canada’s first medal at the Paralympics in Tokyo was a highlight of my career, but there is so much that could happen in Paris,” said Shaw, who is expected to race in three or four events in this year’s Paralympics. “Looking back now on what my career has brought me, it’s tough to pinpoint one event that is the most memorable because there is so much that goes into it that go beyond the results. But I am really looking forward to this … I think this year there are four of us who, on any given day, can win, so gold is not off the table until the race is over.”

Shaw’s remarkable resume includes 10 World Cup medals, six from world championships, and the bronze medal from the Paralympics, and she hopes to add to her medal haul in Paris in front of family and friends.

“It is going to be nice to have the stands full and some of the days are already sold out, so it is going to be a packed house,” said Shaw. “And having my family there is going to be super special. I am lucky that my mom (Carol) and my dad (Greg), my husband (Andrew) and my in-laws (Beth and Scott) will be there, and my grandma (Alice) will be flying out. I also have an uncle (James) who lives in Paris who will be there, so there will be plenty of friendly faces for me.

“And even if everything goes wrong on race day, I am going to have people there who will love me the same amount no matter what happens. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in results that we forget about what really matters.”

Shaw said the support of her cycling teammates, who often travel and train together, will also provide inspiration on the international sports stage.

“I am really excited about the team that we are bringing,” said Shaw, who is scheduled to fly to Paris on August 20. “All of us have been racing now for two or three years and we get along really well, we’ve got a nice little group of not only teammates, but friends. So going to the Paralympics is a special experience on the best of days, but to share that experience with your friends, I am just so excited to do that as a team.”

Shaw, who grew up in Midale, Sask., also shares special ties in particular with her fellow athletes from Saskatchewan, a group that often congregates at competitions in support of one another. This year, there are 14 Olympians and 12 Paralympians from Saskatchewan, as well as coaches and support staff.

“That is the cool thing about the Athletes Village is we will get to mix and mingle more than in Tokyo,” Shaw said. “Of course, as Saskatchewan born-and raised-athletes, we tend to have that Rider Pride in us that extends beyond the Saskatchewan Roughriders. We bleed green for Saskatchewan and we always gravitate together, whether it is with Shelby (Newkirk) and Nikita (Ens) in swimming, or Devin Heroux commentating with CBC. Everyone from Saskatchewan we somehow always tend to find ourselves in this little group together and I think it’s the Saskatchewan roots that bring us together.”

For Paralympians like Shaw, their shared personal experiences also bond them, nurturing a dream to compete that is not limited by the physical impairments they are faced with, many after life-changing accidents and ordeals. For Shaw, the moment that changed her life came 15 years ago in 2009 when she was 15 years old and fell off a horse on the family farm, and was put on life support in a coma in hospital.

Diagnosed with a broken blood vessel in her brain, she suffered partial paralysis on her left side, but through extensive dedicated rehabilitation, therapy and training, she has regained close to 70 per cent function. In Paralympic competition, she is classified as a C4 on a scale of 1-5, with C5 being the most able and C1 athletes competing with the most impairment.

After her recovery, Shaw dabbled in a few different Para sports before quickly developing a love for cycling, starting in the sport in 2016 and winning her first medal at the national championships a year later. Shaw rode into the international spotlight when she won a silver medal in the individual pursuit at the 2019 world championships as she reached the pinnacle of the sport. A proud proponent and advocate for increased opportunities and exposure for women and for all athletes with impairments, Shaw is anxious to show the world the passion she shares for sport with her fellow Paralympians.

“I am so excited not only to have my family there, but for the world to see our sport,” said Shaw. “Para-sport is so little known compared to able-bodied sport, so it will be really, really exciting to showcase what we can do and to show just how far our sport has come in the last few years.”

As she prepares to pack for Paris, her luggage will include a little reminder of USask that travels with her everywhere she goes.

“My favourite pajamas are from USask, so they will be coming with me for sure,” said Shaw, who was the Sask Sport female athlete of the year in 2019 and 2021. “They are my cozy pajamas that have travelled the world with me many times over and will be with me in Paris.”

Shaw takes to the track for her premier event, the C4 individual pursuit, on August 30, two days after the Paralympic opening ceremonies. Having taken part in previous Para-cycling test events in Paris, Shaw is feeling comfortable and confident heading into the biggest competition of her career.

“We rode there before and we actually had the track world championships there in 2022 so I was there for that – and had COVID two days before,” said Shaw, who will also compete in the road time trial (14 kilometres) and the road race (71 km). “We were also in Paris last spring between a couple of events to kind of scope out the area and to get an idea of what things will look like for the Games. So we’re ready and we can’t wait to get started.”