Maelle stepped on a snowboard and ridded down the slopes of Whistler for the first time when she was 13. Her older brother brought her with him to his snowboarding trips even though his friends would make fun of him!
The Golden Girl of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, Maelle Ricker’s relentless passion for the sport of snowboarding is second to none. When there’s fresh snow in the mountain, Ricker can be found blasting down untouched terrain with her friends in Whistler. In 1996 she made world cup debut and competed for many years in snowboard cross and Half pipe. In fact, two years later she was one of the proud representatives of Canadian HP team in Nagano where she took the fifth place. After her injuries resulting from her crash in the final of the 2006 Olympic games she became more and more motivated in the pursue of her goal; being world champion.
Racing alongside teammate and friend Dominique Maltais, Ricker is a sure-shot podium contender in every race. Healing a few injuries, Ricker was out for most of the 2011, but as the Sochi Olympics approaches, Ricker is almost certain to be back in form and a favorite to defend her 2010 Olympic Winter Games Gold Medal.
The first Canadian woman to ever win Olympic gold on home soil also enjoys playing Scrabble as well as mountain biking, surfing and hiking. Maelle is affiliated with KidSport as an ambassador and wish to help children get involved in sport.
For Maelle’s full bio visit http://www.canadasnowboard.ca/en/team/?id=46