Christopher Klebl (born 5 January 1972) is an American-Canadian

cross-country skier Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

who represented the United States at the 2006 and

2010 Winter Paralympics ) , nations = 44 , athletes = 506 , events = 64 in 5 sports , opening = 12 March , closing = 21 March , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Zach Beaumont , stadium = BC Place , winter_pr ...

before winning a gold medal for Canada at the 2014 Winter Paralympics.

Personal life

Klebl was born in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

, Germany as an American citizen. He grew up in Austria and moved to the United States in 1987. In 1995 he suffered back injury during a snowboarding accident that left him paralysed below the waist. He worked as a massage therapist in

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

, Hawaii and then in the software industry in California before moving back to Colorado and taking up sit-skiing. He has a degree in economics from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

Career

Klebl competes in the

LW11 LW11 is a Para-alpine skiing classification, para-alpine and Para-Nordic skiing classification, para-Nordic sit skiing ''sport class'', a classification defined by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC for people with paralysis in the lower e ...

para-Nordic skiing classification Para-Nordic skiing classification is the classification system for para-Nordic skiing which includes the biathlon and cross-country events. The classifications for Para-Nordic skiing mirrors the classifications for Para-Alpine skiing with some ...

using a two ski sit-ski and was introduced to the sport by

Monica Bascio Monica Bascio (born September 16, 1969) is an American Paralympic cross-country skier, biathlete, and handcyclist. Making her Paralympic debut at the Paralympic Winter Games Torino 2006, she has competed in a total of four Paralympic Games. At ...

. He began competing for the US para-nordic skiing team and represented them at the 2005 IPC Nordic Skiing World Championships held in

Fort Kent, Maine Fort Kent is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States, situated at the confluence of the Fish River and the Saint John River, on the border with New Brunswick, Canada. The population was 4,067 in the 2020 census. Fort Kent is home to a ...

, United States where he finished 17th in the 10 km and 18th in the 5 km. Kebl was selected for the United States team for the

2006 Winter Paralympics The 2006 Winter Paralympic Games ( it, Giochi paralimpici invernali del 2006), the ninth Paralympic Winter Games, took place in Turin, Italy from 10 to 19 March 2006. These were the first Winter Paralympic Games to be held in Italy. They were ...

in Turin, Italy. In the men's 1 × 3.75 km + 2 × 5 km relay he finished sixth alongside teammates

Steve Cook Steve Anthony Cook (born 19 April 1991) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Nottingham Forest. Club career Brighton & Hove Albion Born in Hastings, East Sussex, Cook made his first-team debut for Brighton & Hove A ...

and Michael Crenshaw. In the individual events he finished 23rd in the 5 km, 18th in the 10 km, and 11th in the 15 km. Between 2007 and 2008 he won 11 medals at IPC World Cup events. At the 2009 World championships in Vuokatti, Finland he finished 4th in the 15 km, 6th in the 10 km and 7th in the sprint. At the

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, Canada he was again selected for the United States team. In the 1 km sprint he finished ninth in the qualification round and was eliminated. In the 10 km he finished 16th and in the 15 km he finished 8th. In 2011 he moved to Canmore, Alberta and joined the Canadian national team in time for the

2011 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships The 2011 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships took place from 2–11 April 2011 Khanty-Mansiysk Khanty-Mansiysk ( rus, Ха́нты-Манси́йск, Khánty-Mansíysk, lit. ''Khanty-Mansi Town''; Khanty language, Khanty: , ''Jomvoćś''; Mansi language, Mansi: , ''Abga'') is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the admini ...

, Russia. He won a silver medal in the

sprint Sprint may refer to: Aerospace *Spring WS202 Sprint, a Canadian aircraft design *Sprint (missile), an anti-ballistic missile Automotive and motorcycle *Alfa Romeo Sprint, automobile produced by Alfa Romeo between 1976 and 1989 *Chevrolet Sprint, ...

finishing behind Trygve Steinar Larsen of Norway. In the 15 km race he finished in a time of 35 minutes 34.6 seconds to win the gold medal. Klebl competed in his third Paralympics at the 2014 Games in

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...

, Russia, representing the Canadian team. He finished 6th in the 15 km, 8th in the 1 km sprint and partnered Brian McKeever to 4th position in the 4 x 2.5 km relay. In the 10 km event Klebl won his first Paralympic medal, taking gold in a time of 30 minutes 52 seconds. In doing so he prevented Russia's

Roman Petushkov Roman Aleksandrovich Petushkov (russian: Роман Александрович Петушков; born 18 February 1978) is a Russian cross-country skier, biathlete, and Paralympian. He competes in classification category sitting events. Caree ...

from winning a record equalling seventh gold medal at a single Paralympics.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Klebl, Chris 1972 births Living people Canadian male cross-country skiers Cross-country skiers at the 2014 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 2014 Winter Paralympics Paralympic cross-country skiers for Canada Paralympic cross-country skiers for the United States Paralympic gold medalists for Canada Cross-country skiers at the 2018 Winter Paralympics Medalists at the 2018 Winter Paralympics Paralympic medalists in cross-country skiing St. Andrew's School (Delaware) alumni