John
McRoberts

Athlete Bio

John learned to sail as a child, but his real passion was soccer, prior to his injury in 1981 when he became quadriplegic after a diving accident.

Coming from a sporting family, he was always looking for a place he could shine, competing as a road racer and in wheelchair rugby before finding sailing again in the 1990s. ‘Disabled sailing was in its early days then,’ says John. ‘We have come so far, from strapping ourselves in any old tub to the bespoke high-performance boats we sail today. It’s amazing to be a part of this story and we’re nowhere near finished yet. What I love most about sailing is that out there I am a racer, the same as anyone else. With the right equipment, anything is possible.’

John sails with wife Jackie Gay. They were both recently honoured as 2013 Sail Canada Team of the Year. John is a bronze medallist from the 2008 Paralympic Games. John and Jackie competed at the Rio Paralympic Games and brought home a silver medal for Canada.