Mark Arendz of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island was the Canadian flag bearer in the closing ceremonies of the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. Arendz won six medals for Canada at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games–three each in cross country skiing and biathlon.
Arendz won the gold medal in the men’s 15 kilometre biathlon standing competition, a silver in the men’s 7.5 kilometre biathlon standing competition and a bronze in the men’s 12.5 kilometre biathlon standing competition. In cross country skiing, Arendz won silver in the 4 x 2.5 km mixed relay with Emily Young of Vancouver, British Columbia, Natalie Wilkie of Salmon Arm, British Columbia and Chris Klebl of Canmore, Alberta. He also won bronze in the men’s 1.5 km cross-country skiing sprint standing classic and the men’s 10 km cross country skiing standing classic.
Arendz, who suffered an accident on a farm as a child (lost his left arm), has now won eight Paralympic medals. At the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Arendz won silver in the men’s 7.5 kilometre standing biathlon competition and a bronze in the men’s 12.5 kilometre standing biathlon competition,
Canada finished the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang with 28 medals. They smashed their previous record of most medals won at a Paralympic Winter Games. They had 19 medals at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Canada’s record for most medals at the Paralympic Summer Games came in 1984 with 238. That year New York City and Stoke Mandeville in Great Britain were the co-hosts.
