Derek Zaplotinsky set to represent Canada at Beijing Paralympics 

  By Alan Kausy

There will be approximately 600 athletes competing at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, China and Derek Zaplotinsky will be one of 12 members of the Canadian Para-Nordic Ski Team.

Raised in Smoky Lake by parents Myron and Teresa Zaplotinsky, this marks the second time Derek is representing Canada as a para-nordic skier. His team won 16 of Canada’s 28 medals during the 2018 Paralympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

His most recent competition was in December 2021 at the Para-Nordic World Cup in Canmore, while his first international competition was the 2015 IPC Nordic Skiing World Championships in Cable, Wisconsin.

As of February 13, he and his teammates entered an isolation bubble in order to leave for Beijing on February 25. This follows several days the team spent at a training camp on BC’s Apex Mountain, where they prepared to acclimatize to the 1750-meter altitude of the Beijing venue.

An average of 20 hours per week, 11 months of the year, is spent on physical training and most of this is done at the Canmore Nordic Centre. Weight training occurs twice a week with pull-ups, body core workouts and shoulder strengthening. Derek does pull-ups while wearing a 55lb weight belt and completes five sets of five.

Zaplotinsky will be a competitor in five events, including the biathlon sprint, an 18 km long-distance cross country and the 10 km cross country. During winter training, travelling 50 km on his sit-ski is common, and he has gone as much as 65 km on wheels during summer training.

Derek lost mobility in his legs from a 2006 spinal cord injury, but his perseverance and passion for sports eventually led him to participate in competitive hand-cycling. After training for three years, he achieved a fifth-place finish at the 2014 National Hand-Cycling Championships.

Shortly after, while seeking a challenging winter activity, Zaplotinsky was introduced to using a custom-built sit-ski to compete in para-nordic skiing races. He rapidly progressed in this sport to the degree that he achieved a gold medal finish at the 2015 Canada Winter Games in the men’s para 800 m race and earned a silver medal for his performance in the 2.5 km sit-ski race.

His focus soon shifted to competing in the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, where he competed in five different races and achieved results in the top ten. A sinus infection hampered his performance for some of these events, leaving him slightly disappointed. Also, in 2018, the City of Edmonton awarded him a Sports Performance Award.

An hour before an event, Zaplotinsky will arrive at the Beijing venue to commence warm-up exercises, find the right set of skis suitable to the conditions, and ensure his rifle’s accuracy for the biathlon. A test ski run of the course also occurs.

A large Chinese contingent is competing at this year’s Paralympics, and they are expected to be a challenge to beat. The Russian, Italian, Ukrainian and U.S. teams also pose strong competition.

On his sit-ski, Derek travels at an average speed of 17 km per hour and hopes to finish the 18 km cross-country race in less than 55 minutes. The ideal racing temperature in Beijing lies between -3 and -7 degrees, as it makes for the least resistant snow conditions. Windy weather could hamper shooting during the biathlon sprint. A German-made ‘Steyr’ air rifle is used for the Paralympic biathlon, and competitors must hit a 13 mm target. Zaplotinsky estimates his accuracy rate is about 85%.

During his time off from training in Canmore, Derek enjoys spending time outdoors in the Smoky Lake region.

In support of Derek’s representation of Alberta and Canada on the world stage, Smoky Lake County donated funds to his efforts, as did the Town of Smoky Lake and the Smoky Lake Lions Club.

People may follow Derek’s Paralympic progress on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and CBC Gem is likely to broadcast the events. The Paralympics run from March 4 to March 13.