Muskoka native Collin Cameron is preparing to represent Canada once again at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Italy, joined on the international stage by his fiancée and fellow Para Nordic athlete Christina Picton.
The engaged couple, who both compete in sit-ski cross-country and biathlon events, departed on Feb. 21 as they begin final preparations for the Games. Cameron brings a wealth of Paralympic experience, while Picton continues to emerge as a strong contender in the women’s sitting category.
For Cameron, the upcoming Games mark his third Paralympic appearance. He captured three bronze medals at both the 2018 and 2022 Paralympic Winter Games and made history in Beijing as the first Canadian male sit-skier to reach the podium in a cross-country distance race. His journey back to the Paralympics has required resilience after illness and a shoulder injury disrupted the past two seasons.
Despite those setbacks, Cameron opened the 2025–26 campaign with a statement performance at World Cup races in Canmore, Alberta, earning two silver medals in Para cross-country along with gold and silver in Para biathlon — results that reinforced his readiness to compete among the world’s best.
Cameron first discovered Para Nordic skiing in 2015 at an identification camp in Canmore and began racing in 2016. Born with arthrogryposis, a condition affecting the development of muscles and joints in his legs, he has gone on to build a decorated career that includes a world championship title and multiple podium finishes internationally.
Picton made her Paralympic debut in 2022, finishing top eight in all four of her events, including a sixth-place result in the cross-country sprint. Since then, she has steadily progressed, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in the 12.5-kilometre individual biathlon at a Para World Cup event in January 2026.
Back home, community pride is already on display in Bracebridge as residents rally behind Cameron with banners and messages of support. As the couple heads overseas, supporters across Muskoka and Niagara will be cheering them on as they chase Paralympic success together.
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