About Shelley Gautier

Shelley Gautier was born on October 31st, 1968 in Niagara Falls. As a youth, she played competitive soccer as a goalie from the age of 6. By 2001 Shelley was a physiotherapist who raced in mountain bikes competitively. She was on holiday in Vermont when she crashed her bike, crushing her helmet and sustaining a severe head injury. After six weeks in a coma, Shelley spent eight months in a rehab hospital in Toronto learning to walk and talk again. She has hemiplegia, or one-sided paralysis, which affects the right side of her body.

Following her recovery, Shelly began her first competitive sports in disable sailing where she became a competitive sailor. She raced across Canada and the United States. Shelley became a board member of the Disable Sailing Association Ontario (Toronto Club) and served as Commodore for two years. She was a very active fundraiser for para-sailing during her tenure.

In 2009, Shelley became the first female T-1 rider on the international para-cycling scene. Since then she has dominated her class and won Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) world championships for five consecutive years. Shelley has won eight world titles in para-cycling and competed in the London 2012 Paralympics and the 2016 Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro.

Awards and Certifications

Shelley is the Honorary Chairperson, and a director of the Shelley Gautier Para- Sport Foundation and she continues to support its charitable efforts.

Shelley is a finalist for the prestigious "Athlete of the Year with a Disability Award" of The Laureus Sports Foundation. She was the only Canadian finalist, and she attended the awards ceremony in Shanghai, China representing Canada, in April 2015.

Shelley holds a degree in physical education and physiotherapy from the University of Western Ontario and the University of Toronto.

About Shelley Gautier Para-Sport Foundation

The Shelley Gautier Para-Sport Foundation operates by running and managing para-sports programs in existing recreational facilities, so people with disabilities can be more integrated into their communities. The foundation currently has chapters operating in Hamilton, Niagara, Brantford, Ottawa, Kitchener and Whitby.

For more information on the foundation Check out Our Purpose