30 Under 30: Cory Duhaime, 23
Talk about versatility—Tsawwassen's Cory Duhaime is a competitor, whether he's on the steep snowy slopes, or the confines of a bowling alley.
It's his ability to excel at a pair of very different sports—downhill skiing and five-pin bowling—which has earned the 23-year-old Special Olympics athlete the distinction of being a two-sport medal winner in both the winter and summer games.
This past March Duhaime managed to make good on his promise for podium finishes in three alpine events—the Super G, slalom and giant slalom at the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games.
He came home from St. Albert, Alberta with a trio of bronze medals that have a place of honour in his room. So does the pair of gold medals he earned from five-pin bowling at the Special Olympics Canada Summer Games in London, Ontario.
The skiing medals were the result of months of intense training on the hills of the North Shore and Whistler.
Accomplishing his winter games goal came with a sense of relief.
"There were two really good skiers out ahead of me," he told the Leader after returning from Alberta. "I kinda thought maybe I had a chance (for a medal) but I didn't expect it."
His parents—Michael and Jenni—said they were extremely proud of their son's accomplishments.
"Proud, yes, but we always wanted to make sure that it's not only what he's holding (medals) that we're proud of," says Michael. "It's the commitment that he put into it."
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