Kimiko Zakreski is a Canadian snowboarder on the National World Cup Team, riding/racing in the disciplines of Parallel Giant Slalom and Parallel Slalom.
Learning to ride at the age of 12 at Canada Olympic Park, Kimiko has been competing since 1998. Her first podium finish at a World Cup race came in December of 2008 when she won a silver medal in the Parallel Giant Slalom event in Limone Piemonte, Italy. Other career highlights include a 16th overall finish in 2008-09 World Cup alpine snowboard standings and an 18th place finish in the 2009 World Championships.
Growing up in Calgary, AB, Kimiko got her first taste of the Olympics at a young age during the 1988 Winter Games. Not only did having the Olympic Games in her own backyard inspire Kimiko to pursue sport, but it also left behind world-class facilities that have helped Kimiko and Canada’s other Olympic hopefuls prepare for 2010 Vancouver.
Quotable:
– “When I stood in front of the Canada flag and my teammates cheered me on it was like nothing I had experienced before. It was a surreal moment — snowing so hard that it felt like a dream. It was the first time all my hard work and dedication really translated into a world class results,” Kimiko said of her first World Cup medal.
– “You can travel around the world and train, train, train and the journey can be over in seconds.”
More on Kimiko:
– Favourite spot to Ride: Lake Louise, Alberta
– Other hobbies: Road Biking, Yoga, Golfing, Wakeboarding, Walking her dog ‘Sumo’
– Hero: Elizabeth Manley, who won a silver medal in women’s figure skating at the 1988 Olympics.
– Featured on OVER THE BOLTS, a reality show shot over 12 months giving viewers unprecedented access to Vancouver 2010 hopefuls. OTB can be seen Rogers Sportsnet.