Arendz wins Canadian Paralympic Committee's best male athlete award

OTTAWA, ONT. – Hartsville’s Mark Arendz has been named the best male athlete by the Canadian Paralympic Committee. He will receive the recognition at the Canadian Paralympic Sport Awards ceremony Nov. 15 in Calgary.
“It is such an incredible honour to receive this recognition as the male athlete of the year, especially with all of the stellar performances by Canadian Paralympic athletes throughout the year,” Arendz said. “The Canadian Paralympic Team had so many extraordinary results at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games and it will be nice to celebrate all of those moments.”
In his third Paralympic Games, Arendz was a dominant force for Canada across both cross-country and biathlon. The Para nordic skier took home six medals – the most medals won by a Canadian in a single Paralympic Winter Games – including one gold, two silver and three bronze.
The awards are handed out every two years following a Paralympic Games to recognize the outstanding achievements of Canadian athletes and coaches. Canada won a record 28 medals at this year’s Paralympics in PyeongChang.
“A huge congratulations to all of the very well-deserving recipients of this year’s Canadian Paralympic Sport Awards,” said Marc-André Fabien, president of the Canadian Paralympic Committee. “You are all phenomenal ambassadors for sport in Canada and the Paralympic Movement, and we thank you for your commitment to excellence. We look forward to celebrating your many accomplishments in Calgary.” This year’s recipients are: Best Female Athlete – Mollie Jepsen  Best Team Performance – Para Ice Hockey Best Paralympic Debut by a Male Athlete – Alexis Guimond Best Paralympic Debut by a Female Athlete – Natalie Wilkie  Tim Frick Paralympic Coach Excellence Award – Robin McKeever  Development Coach of the Year – Ken Thom