Chris Waddell

Chris Waddell began skiing at a young age and dreamt of skiing down the slopes and winning a gold medal for the United States of America; unfortunately, his dream shifted gears on December 20, 1988. While skiing for Middlebury College, Waddell took a sharp turn down the hill when his ski popped off. His ski went flying and Waddell went tumbling down the hill in a terrifying crash that left him paralyzed from the waist down. For most people this would ruin their dreams of Olympic Gold, for Waddell, his dream simply changed. Waddell began monoskiing less than a year after the accident and has been thriving at it ever since. Since becoming paralyzed, Waddell has won 12 Paralympic medals, making him the most decorated monoskier ever. He has also begun a career as a Paralympic track athlete, in which he has won 15 medals at Winter and Summer Paralympic Games. As well as being a stand out athlete, Waddell travels the world as a motivational speaker, he was named one of People Magazine’s “The 50 Most Beautiful People in the World”, and was named the Dalai Lama’s Unsung Hero of Compassion.