SASKATOON – Blake Lamontagne has added to his list of sporting accolades.
The Wawota adaptive waterski star has been selected to receive an Inspire Through Sport Award. The recognition will be presented at the Saskatchewan Sport Awards on Feb. 1 in Regina.
A bio for Lamontagne states that 16 years ago, he became a T4 paraplegic and was introduced to the world of waterskiing by another adaptive athlete.
"Blake leads his life with an optimistic perspective, knowing no obstacle is too big to overcome," his bio states. "He has developed into a successful athlete in waterski, shattering the MP3 men’s trick world record at the recent 2023 IWWF Disabled World Waterski Championships.
The bio goes on to say Lamontagne has received the honour of being Waterski Wakeboard Canada Male Adaptive Athlete of the Year for three straight times from 2019-2022. On three occasions, he has attended the World Disabled Waterski Championships and continues to excel in all events offered in waterski.
His performance at worlds brought Team Canada a silver medal, the first team medal ever awarded to Canada at a World Disabled Waterski Championship.
"Blake uses his time outside of training and competing to demonstrate that there are various opportunities for people with a disability to engage in life."
Olympians and Paralympians, international and national champions, and the coaches and volunteers who have dedicated time behind the scenes, will all be honoured at the 2023 Saskatchewan Sport Awards. The gala will honour 12 Recognition Awards recipients, as well as announce recipients of the six Excellence Awards and celebrate those named as finalists.
A full list of nominees can be found here.
