Training with Nordic Racers in North Vancouver, he progressed from being unable to complete a sprint to competing at more than a dozen Para nordic World Cup events.  He entered the first eight races on the Para cross country skiing World Cup circuit in the 2025-26 season.

Prior to his injury, Sammarelli was a high-level amateur boxer and one of British Columbia’s top lightweight prospects. He began boxing at a young age and achieved significant success, including winning the Golden Gloves lightweight title in 2013 and the Canadian amateur lightweight championship in 2014.

Following his injury, Sammarelli became a leader in adaptive boxing. He helped establish the first wheelchair adaptive boxing council in British Columbia, serves on the World Adaptive Boxing Council, and is a board member of Boxing BC as Director of Diversity and Inclusion.

Sammarelli is also an expert in martial arts, particularly jiu-jitsu, which he credits for bringing him peace of mind. He has competed at the Canada Games in wheelchair racing, winning gold in 2022 as well as in Para nordic cross country skiing.

In 2017, Sammarelli was a victim of gun violence and was diagnosed with a life changing spinal cord injury, becoming paralyzed from the waist down.

Sammarelli works as a trainer at the Rain City Boxing Club in Vancouver and is the founder of Westcoast Wheelchair Adaptive Boxing.

Of Italian and Filipino heritage, Sammarelli speaks both English and Italian.

Mullin was born with congenital glaucoma, diagnosed at age two. She has light perception only in her right eye and reduced peripheral and depth perception in her left, though her vision has remained stable throughout her life.

Growing up, she primarily focused on alpine skiing with her two sisters, developing a strong foundation in sport and a love for the outdoors. That background helped make the transition to cross-country skiing feel natural and accessible.

Sport is ingrained in her family.  Her father Matt Mullin played for the Sudbury Wolves in the OHL and backstopped Ontario to gold at the Canada Winter Games 32 years before Madison’s participation.

She was introduced to Para sport around age 8–10 through Ontario-based Para programs led by Patti Kitler and Ken Norris, with cross-country skiing becoming the first and longest-standing Para sport she pursued.

Mullin has achieved national and international success, including podium performances at the 2023 Canada Winter Games, Continental Cup results, and selection to Canada’s Para Nordic Development Team. She trains under head coach Brian McKeever and currently races with guide Brooke Ailey.

Off the snow, Mullin plans to attend Nipissing University, where she intends to study business while continuing to pursue World Cup and Paralympic qualification.

She has competed at World Cups, the past two seasons, and won three silver medals with Ailey at the 2025-26 season opening stop in Canmore.

In 2024-25, he made his World Cup debut at the Val Di Fiemme, Italy, which also served as the test event for the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games.

Larivière has a visual impairment of 20/200 vision, meaning what a person with typical vision sees at 200 feet, he sees at 20 feet. Early in his career, he competed nationally but narrowly missed eligibility for international competition due to classification standards.

Recent changes to international VI classification rules expanded eligibility, allowing Larivière to successfully obtain international classification—a pivotal moment that opened the door to World Cup racing and Paralympic qualification.

Larivière trains under long-time coach Patti Kitler, who has guided him for 15 years and introduced him to Para sport programs early in his career. He has also been mentored by Canadian Paralympic legend Brian McKeever. For international competitions, he races with a guide, most recently Joe Hutton.

Outside of sport, Larivière works in construction and enjoys outdoor activities such as biking and fishing, while continuing to pursue his goal of Paralympic selection.

Wells represented Canada at three straight FIS U23 World Championships from 2023 to 2025. She made her FIS World Cup debut in the fall of 2023 and competed at five stops throughout the season.

Wells won three straight national titles in the women’s 10km free in from 2023 to 2025. In 2025 she also became national champion in the women’s 30km mass start classic.

A Little More About Amelia 

Outside Interests: Graduated from the University of Calgary in June 2025 with a degree in Health Sciences…

Bouffard-Nesbitt began competing internationally during the 2010-11 season on the Nor-Am Cup circuit. That season, she also competed for Team Quebec at the 2011 Canada Winter Games where she won a silver medal in the women’s relay.

Bouffard-Nesbitt competed at her first of two FIS U23 World Championships in 2014. She entered her first FIS World Cup event in February 2015, just ahead of her debut at the senior FIS World Championships. Bouffard-Nesbitt got a lot of World Cup experience in March 2016 as the World Cup Finals took place in Gatineau, Montreal, Quebec City, and Canmore and formed the Ski Tour Canada. She finished 44^th in the Ski Tour Canada standings.

She finished as high as second overall in the Nor-Am Cup standings in 2017-18.

Bouffard-Nesbitt is no stranger to adversity. She qualified to compete at the 2017 FIS World Championships but sustained a season-ending herniated disc in her neck just one week before. She had just come back from a stress fracture in her right foot a few months prior. In 2018 she had a very bad case of mononucleosis and missed the entire 2018-19 season. She decided to go to northern Saskatchewan to work with Spirit North, an organization founded by Olympic champion Beckie Scott to empower Indigenous youth through sport, to teach skiing to students in three Cree communities, an experience that turned out to be one of the best of her life.

After her Olympic debut, Bouffard-Nesbitt returned to World Cup racing in February 2022, nearly six years after she last competed on the elite circuit. She earned her first individual top 30 result in a freestyle sprint in December 2022 in Davos where she finished 25^th.

After an eight-year gap, Bouffard-Nesbitt returned to the FIS World Championships in 2023. She also competed at the worlds in 2025.

A Little More About Olivia

Getting into the Sport: Both parents were ski instructors, so she was never not on skis… As a baby was strapped to her dad’s back as he groomed their hometown trails… As a toddler was pulled along by rope on little alpine skis… At age 4 was given her own cross-country skis… Began competing in local races as a kid before starting to train seriously at age 15… Outside Interests: Continues to work with Spirit North when time allows… Coaches part time with the Canmore Nordic Ski Club… Odds and Ends: After Beckie Scott won Canada’s first Olympic cross-country skiing medal at Salt Lake City 2002 she cut out every newspaper article she would find and still has them stashed in her bedroom… Favourite quote: “Things turn out for people who make the best of the way things turn out.” – John Wooden…

Drolet helped make history at the 2020 FIS Junior World Championships where he teamed with Olivier Léveillé, Xavier McKeever, and Tom Stephen to win silver in the 4x5km relay. It was Canada’s first ever world championship cross-country relay medal at any level. Drolet also came close to an individual medal, finishing fourth in the 30km mass start race. He had finished seventh in the mass start the year before.

2020 was Drolet’s third appearance at the junior worlds. He had suffered a concussion during his first junior worlds in 2017, which affected him for more than a year. He would go on to compete at both the FIS U23 wWorld cChampionships and the senior FIS World Championships in 2021, helping Canada to a 10^th place finish in the relay at the latter. He returned to the U23 Worlds in 2023.

Drolet competed in his first FIS World Cup races in March 2019 when the World Cup Finals came to Quebec City. He competed in his first overseas World Cups in the second half of the 2020-21 season, racing in Lahti (FIN), Falun (SWE) and Engadin (SUI). He achieved his career-high individual World Cup result in February 2025 when he finished 22^nd in the 10km classic in Falun.

Drolet won his first two Nor-Am Cup medals in January 2022 in Canmore, taking silver in a 15km classic race and bronze in a classic sprint race.

Drolet was a triple gold medallist at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, taking first place in the 10km freestyle, 15km classic mass start, and the mixed relay with Team B.C. As a freshman at Harvard University in 2019-20, he qualified for the NCAA Championships but did not compete. He was named the EISA Nordic Rookie of the Year. As a junior in 2022-23, Drolet won the men’s 20km classic at the NCAA Championships, earning him First Team All-America honours. He was named First Team All-America again as a senior in 2023-24.

A Little More About Rémi

Getting into the Sport: Started cross-country skiing at age 4, but didn’t practice it regularly until he was 11… Grew up skiing on backwood paths his parents knew of; never skied on a groomed trail until he started competing… Has wanted to represent Canada since watching Vancouver 2010 on TV… Outside Interests: Graduated from Harvard University with a degree in physics and mathematics… Enjoys learning about science and math, yoyo-ing, reading novels, discovering new films, running, backpacking, mountain biking… Odds and Ends: Favourite motto: “Thunder only happens when it’s raining” -Stevie Nicks…Younger sister Jasmine is also a member of the 2026 Olympic cross-country skiing team…

Schmidt made history in 2024 when she claimed sprint gold at the FIS U23 World Championships, becoming the first Canadian woman to win a U23 world title in cross-country skiing. That was her second of three straight appearances at the U23 world championships.

Schmidt debuted at the senior FIS World Championships in 2025 where she was part of Canada’s ninth-place finish in the women’s 4×7.5km relay.

Schmidt made her FIS World Cup debut in January 2024 and competed at five stops in the second half of the 2023-24 season. She competed primarily on the World Cup circuit throughout the 2024-25 season. In January 2025 Schmidt achieved a career best World Cup result when she finished fourth in the sprint in Engadin, Switzerland. She ended the season ranked fifth in the U23 World Cup standings.

Born with Amniotic Band Syndrome and clubbed feet, Emma’s early life presented her with challenges that she confronted with incredible resilience. In 2019 she attended a Paralympic search camp, where she was identified for 7 different sports including cross-country skiing. Of all the sports, cross-country skiing stood out, and after a Nordiq Canada Para development camp in Canmore AB she received her classification, and got her first taste of Para nordic skiing. After the camp, she joined Scotia XC club and honed in her skills during the Covid-19 Pandemic. By the time the 2023 Canada winter Games came to Prince Edward Island, Emma was ready to prove her strength in the sport coming away with 2 Gold, and a Silver Medal.

She made an impressive world championship debut in February 2025 racing in two events which included ninth place in the women’s standing 20 kilometre. She kicked off the 2025-26 season with five top 10’s in her first six races.

Personal life: 

Her resolve to overcome obstacles continued to shine as she pursued her education at the University of Ottawa. Currently entering her third year of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Emma’s dedication to her studies is unwavering. She has demonstrated her capacity for leadership taking up the mantle of Women’s Team Captain this year, setting an example for her peers and contributing to the unity and success of the team. Emma’s journey takes a thrilling turn as she prepares to balance her academic commitments with her passion for racing. Her upcoming winter semester will see her transition to part-time studies, allowing her to focus on her athletic pursuits and dedicate time to racing.