Dennis Thiessen

Dennis Thiessen (born April 20, 1961, in Crystal City, Manitoba) is a wheelchair curler who was part of the winning team in wheelchair curling for Canada at the 2014 Winter Paralympics. He played on the winning Canadian team at the 2013 World Wheelchair Curling Championship. His disability is that at seventeen he lost his leg.[1] He is the only Manitoban on the team and lives in Sanford, Manitoba.[2]

Dennis Thiessen
Personal information
NationalityCanadian
CitizenshipCanada
Born (1961-04-20) April 20, 1961
Height165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight76 kg (168 lb)
Medal record
Wheelchair curling
Representing  Canada
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2014 SochiMixed team
Bronze medal – third place 2018 PyeongChang Mixed team
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Beijing Mixed team
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2013 Sochi Mixed team
Silver medal – second place 2020 Wetzikon Mixed team

He was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 2019.[3]

Personal

Thiessen was born in Crystal City, Manitoba on April 20, 1961, and now resides in Sanford, Manitoba. He is married and has 2 children. In 1978, when Thiessen was 17 years old, he had an accident in his family's farm and had lost his leg. He was suggested to give wheelchair curling a try in 2005.[4] He said that he was really inspired by another Manitoban winter sportsperson Cindy Klassen and that she was "the ultimate professional and a great representative of Canada".[5] He had also started the organization "Manitoba Farmers with Disabilities".[5]

Career

Sochi 2014

At the age of 52, Thiessen has competed in his first Paralympic Games, he made the tryout two years before in 2012. After seeing the team, he said that "It was just an unbelievable feeling,"[6] Canada won the spot at the top of the podium by beating Russia 8–3. "It was an emotional high" explained Thiessen who has just won his first Paralympic Medal.[7]

References
  1. "Sochi 2014 Canadian Paralympic team Profile" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
  2. Geary, Andrea (2013-12-19). "Winnipeg Free Press". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2014-02-27.
  3. "Curling Canada honours 2019 Hall of Fame inductees, annual award-winners". Curling Canada. 2019-03-05.
  4. "Dennis Thiessen". Canadian Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  5. "THIESSEN, Dennis — Athlete Bios — CBC". CBC.ca. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  6. "Manitoba Paralympian Dennis Thiessen Prepares For Sochi - Pembinavalleyonline.com". pembinavalleyonline.com. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  7. "Canada wins Paralympic gold in wheelchair curling". thechronicleherald.ca. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
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