Michaela Gosselin was in the spotlight in a day which Canada’s Para alpine team dominated with seven podium finishes at a recent World Cup downhill event in Santa Caterina, Italy.

For the 23-year-old native of Collingwood, Ont., claiming her first two career World Cup victories in Italy was a milestone moment. But what made it even more remarkable was that it marked her first-ever podium finish in a downhill event — a discipline known for its wider gate spacing, higher speeds, and the increased safety preparation.

Due to a poor weather forecast, race organizers compressed the schedule, forcing athletes to compete in two downhill races on the same day, which is an uncommon scenario in alpine skiing. Gosselin ended up winning back-to-back races in a discipline she had barely trained for.

“The downhill was quite crazy because I hadn’t raced in it since 2022 in Beijing [Winter Paralympics], and I hadn’t done any downhill training this year,” Gosselin told CBC Sports.

“My team was a little skeptical about sending me because of that, and even the training runs we were completely fogged out, so I had terrible visibility. It really felt like I went in with no real training.”

WATCH | Gosselin joins CBC Sports to detail surge to World Cup podiums:

Para skier Michaela Gosselin on breaking through and landing on World Cup podiums

The Canadian from Collingwood, Ont. spoke to CBC about her recent success on the hill.

Despite the challenges, Gosselin delivered a breakthrough performance.

Just three days later, she continued her impressive run reaching the podium in giant slalom for the first time with second- and third-place finishes at the FIS Para Alpine World Cup in St. Moritz, Switzerland — a place that has special significance to her.

Two years ago, Gosselin suffered a serious knee injury in the same venue during training, tearing her ACL, MCL, and fracturing her tibial plateau, an injury that sidelined her from competition until March of last year.

“I was a little nervous going into St. Moritz,” Gosselin admitted. “I blew out my knee there, and there’s always some anxiety about racing at a place where you’ve been injured. It’s intimidating, but I really tried not to think about it.”

The Paralympian’s return to form wasn’t just about physical recovery, but also a mental battle as well.

“Injuries are often far more mental than they are physical. It’s easy to follow a rehab program and do physio, but pushing yourself to take the risks you need to succeed in this sport is a whole different challenge.”

Michaela’s father, Kevin, was a former member of Canada’s national alpine ski team, and Michaela was on skis when she was one and a half years old, almost as soon as she could walk.

“I started racing around five. It was more just about learning to turn but it was so much fun growing up in that environment,” she said.

Looking back, Gosselin remembers those early years at her local ski club with her friends as some of the most fun times, where she developed both her skills and love for the sport.

Transition to Para sport

Gosselin was diagnosed with cancer at 18, leading to a scapulectomy of her left shoulder. By then, she had already moved on from competitive ski racing, shifting her focus to volleyball — until everything changed.

“It was definitely a very hard time in my life,” Gosselin told CBC Sports.

Within a week of her diagnosis, she was recruited to the Para team, a transition that was difficult to process.

“That was really hard to accept at first because I wasn’t even disabled yet, and I was already looking at this new path, trying to decide if it was right for me.”

The switch to Para sport brought challenges but also an unexpected opportunity that shaped her into the athlete she is today.

“There was the challenge of relearning how to ski. I had raced my whole life, but suddenly I had to do it without a shoulder. That took time,” Gosselin said, “but in a way, it was the best of a bad situation, and I’m very happy with where I am today.”

Balancing school, sport

While finding success on the slopes, keeping up with her geography and history studies at Queen’s University amid a busy competition schedule has been another battle for the rising star.

Balancing a winter sport with a school far from any downhill ski facility has been no easy task, as her 24th birthday approaches at the end of January.

Looking ahead, the next competition for Gosselin will be the world championships in Maribor, Slovenia from February 6 to 11.

“I haven’t raced the world championship since 2022 so it’s been a while since I’ve done any major event, but I’m very excited and the goal is always to hit the podium.”