OTTAWA, ONT.: A dream years in the making is now reality for Fall River’s Emma Archibald.
Archibald, a Lockview High alum, has been officially nominated to Canada’s Para nordic skiing team for the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina, becoming one of 15 athletes and guides selected to represent the country on the sport’s biggest stage.
The Paralympic Games will run March 6–15, 2026, with Para nordic skiing competition taking place March 7–15 in the Val di Fiemme region of Italy.
For Archibald, the moment is deeply personal, and rooted right here at home.
“I wouldn’t have started, or kept going, in this sport without the mighty cross-country ski community in Nova Scotia,” Archibald told The Laker News on Saturday morning.
“Starting a bit later than most wasn’t easy, but their passion and joy for skiing was so contagious.”
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Though she didn’t grow up skiing, Archibald said her athletic foundation was built through a wide range of sports in Fall River and across Nova Scotia, including track and field, basketball, soccer, and flag football.
“I was fortunate to compete in many different sports, and through the support of my incredible gym teachers, I learned from a wide range of coaches who helped shape me as an athlete,” she said.
“That same sense of support continued when I joined the ski team in Nova Scotia, where I was surrounded by awesome teammates and incredible coaches.”
Now a Para nordic skier with uOttawa Nordiq, Archibald has competed internationally with Nordiq Canada, including events this season.
She also proudly represented Nova Scotia at the Canada Winter Games during her second year of university in Ottawa.
“Representing Nova Scotia at the Canada Winter Games was really special,” she said. “It felt like everything coming full circle, where it all started.”
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Archibald will be making her Paralympic debut in Italy, joining a Canadian Para nordic team that has been one of the nation’s most successful at recent Paralympics, winning 16 medals in 2018 and 14 more in 2022.
The squad is led by five-time Paralympian Mark Arendz of Prince Edward Island and includes eight first-time Paralympians, highlighting both experience and emerging talent.
While the spotlight will shine bright in Italy, Archibald hopes her journey resonates back home, especially with younger athletes in her small community of Fall River.
“Your dreams are never too big,” she said. “Be brave, work hard, have fun and enjoy the process.”
Para nordic skiing at the Paralympics includes both Para biathlon and Para cross-country skiing, with competition hosted at the Tesero Cross-Country Skiing Stadium in Val di Fiemme.
As the countdown to Milano Cortina continues, Fall River will have plenty of reason to cheer, knowing one of its own will be wearing the maple leaf on the world stage.