At the age of 17 Michelle was rendered quadriplegic after falling from a friends back while piggyback riding. Prior to her injury Michelle was involved in many sports. She excelled at track, basketball and ringette. Her injury has not put a stop to her enjoyment of these sports, just a few alterations.

A gold medalist at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Wheelchair Basketball, Michelle Stilwell is no stranger to athletic success. However, Michelle was forced to quit basketball shortly after the games due to complications arising from her spinal cord injury. Despite this, rather than give up, she moved to a whole new sport and channeled her competitive drive and passion for sport into making one of the most meteoric rises for any Canadian athlete ever, going from a novice Wheelchair racer to World champion in just two years. In fact, in 2006 she won a Gold medal and set a new games record at the World Championships in the 200m and captured silver in the 100m.

In 2007, 2009, and 2010 Michelle won the women’s quad division at the Vancouver Sun Run 10k and the Victoria Times Colonist 10k but her specialty lies in sprints where she won numerous track and field competitions in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 800m events.

In May of 2008, just seven weeks post surgery Michelle broke the World Record in both the 100m and 200m. Four months later success was found again in Beijing at the Paralympic Games where Michelle found herself on top of the podium for the 100m and 200m events breaking Paralympic Records in both. In 2011, Michelle brought home 3 Gold medals and a Silver from the IPC World Championships in New Zealand. An incredible comeback after major spine surgery just 5 months prior.

In 2012 Michelle made history as she repeated as Paralympic Champion in the 200m at the London Paralympic Games. Michelle also captured the silver medal in the 100m.

Michelle is extremely dedicated to training, bringing her competitive drive to athletics after an extremely successful international career in Wheelchair Basketball. She manages to juggle full time child rearing, marriage, the training required to compete at the international level all while representing her constituents as the MLA for Parksville/Qualicum and the Minister Of Social Development and Social Innovation for the Province of British Columbia. Michelle actively speaks about the stages of her life, the circumstances that brought her to become a wheelchair athlete, her major victories, and her minor disappointments. Her words to live by are “Remove self-imposed limitations - anything is possible with a positive attitude.” 

Michelle retired from competitive sport after competing in the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games and successfully topping the podium in both the 100m and 400m breaking Paralympic records in both events.

Awards and Distinctions

• 2019 Inducted to the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame

• 2016 Inducted to the BC Sports Hall of Fame

• 2016 Female Athlete of the year - BC Athletics

• 2016 - Outstanding Para Athlete of the year - BC Athletics

• 2012 Outstanding Para Athlete of the Year - Athletics Canada

• 2012 Female Athlete of the Year Finalist - Manitoba

• 2012 Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal

• 2012 Awarded Key to the City - Parksville, British Columbia

• 2011 Outstanding Para Athlete of the Year - Athletics Canada

• 2011 CWSA Female Athlete of the year

• 2011 Female Athlete of the year - BC Athletics

• 2011 Female Athlete of the year-with a disability-BC Athletics

• 2010 Outstanding Para Athlete of the Year - Athletics Canada

• 2010 Female Athlete of the year and Female Athlete of the year-with a disability-BC Athletics

• 2010 Top 100 most influential women - Vancouver Sun

• 2009 Athlete of the year - Winnipeg, Manitoba

• 2008 Sport BC Athlete of the year

• 2008 Awarded Key to the City - Winnipeg, Manitoba

• 2008 Honaray Citizen - Parksville, BC

• 2007 CAN FUND

• 2007 Sport BC Athlete of the year

• 2007 Female individual athlete of the year-Pacific Sport

• 2007 Female Athlete of the year-with a disability-BC Athletics

• 2007 Premier's Athletic Award recipient

• 2007 BCLC -- featured athlete

• 2006 Female individual athlete of the year-Pacific Sport

• 2006 CAN FUND

• 2006 Miracle Mile Bursary

• 2006 Female Athlete of the year-with a disability-BC Athletics

• 2006 Finalist BC Female Athlete of the year (Sport BC)

• 2006 First Fund for Gold Athlete Assistance Program Pacific Sport

• 2006 Fast Track

• 2005 BCWBS Coach of the year

• 2005 Female Athlete of the year-BCWSA

• 2005 Female Athlete of the year -- with a disability-BC Athletics

• 1998 Calgary City Council and the Calgary Booster Club Excellence in Sport Award

• 1998 Calgary Sun's Noteworthy Women of 1998

• 1996-1997 Ada MacKenzie Memorial Bursary for Outstanding academic achievement for national level athletes

• 1996-1998 Manitoba Foundation for Sport

• 1996 Rugby All-Star Award

• 1996 Manitoba Wheelchair Sport Association Merit Award for Outstanding Leadership and Promotion of MWSA

Profile

Height: 5'7" ( 1.7 metres)

Weight: 110lbs (50kg)

Place of Birth: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Nationality:  Canadian

Place of Residence: Parksville, British Columbia

World Records

100m: 18.67 seconds - Notwill, Switzerland

200m: 33.19 seconds - Canberra, Australia

Paralympic Medals

400m: Gold - 65.43 - Rio 2016

100m: Gold - 19.42 - Rio 2016

200m: Gold - 33.80 - London 2012

100m: Silver 19.80- London 2012

200m: Gold - 36.18 - Beijing 2008

100m: Gold - 19.97 - Beijing 2008

Wheelchair Basketball: Gold - Sydney 2000

World Championship Medals

100m, 200m, 800m: Gold - Lyon, France 2013

100m, 200m, 400m: Gold - Christchurch, New Zealand 2011

800m: Silver - Christchurch, New Zealand 2011

200m: Gold - Assen, Netherlands 2006

100m: Silver - Assen, Netherlands 2006

Wheelchair Basketball: Gold - Sydney, Australia 1998

Results