Wide-eyed rookie to world-class: Para nordic star Wilkie ready for next step as Milano Cortina beckons

For Natalie Wilkie, the Paralympics have been nothing short of life-changing.

Now preparing for her third Paralympic Games at Milano Cortina, the 25-year-old Para Nordic skier reflects on how far she’s come — from a wide-eyed teenager at her first Paralympics in 2018 to a multi-medallist athlete still hungry for growth.

Wilkie was just 17 when she made her Paralympic debut at PyeongChang 2018, a moment she describes as overwhelming in all the best ways.

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Wilkie told CBC Sports. “I think that was my second time out of the country, and my first international competition. There were just so many cool new things blowing my mind all the time. I remember feeling so lucky to be able to compete there.”

Heading into Milano Cortina, where she will join hockey captain Tyler McGregor as a Team Canada's flag-bearers during the opening ceremony, Wilkie hopes to reconnect with that same sense of awe and gratitude she had as a teenager.

“I kind of want to channel a little bit of my younger self — appreciate the experience, enjoy it to the fullest,” she said. “Not just focus on the competition, but really be there for the whole experience.”

In her last two Paralympic Winter Games (2018 and 2022) the Salmon Arm, B.C., native has won seven medals — three gold, two silver and two bronze. She won the Best Paralympic Games Debut by a Female Athlete at the 2018 Canadian Paralympic Sport Awards.

Even after two Paralympic appearances and multiple medals, Wilkie’s drive hasn’t faded.

“Each medal only represents what was happening on that day,” she said. “Conditions change, people change — you never control what’s going to happen in a race. So it doesn’t get old, because every medal is special in itself.”

That philosophy keeps her motivated year after year, as evidenced by her 2025-26 campaign.

This season, Wilkie collected six victories on the Para biathlon World Cup circuit to capture the Crystal Globe as the overall champion in the women’s standing category for the first time in her career.

“There’s no such thing as perfection,” she explained. “Self-improvement is constant — you’re always learning, always growing. That’s what keeps it exciting. There’s always something else to strive for.”

Wilkie says she can see that progress building over time as she continues to try and perfect her craft.

“We’re building year upon year,” she said. “I can see the improvement happening, slowly but surely.”