Karen Van Nest

Karen Van Nest
Personal information
NationalityCanadian
Born (1962-09-29) 29 September 1962 (age 62)[1]
North Bay, Ontario, Canada[2]
Sport
Sport
EventCompound
Coached byPhil Henderson
Medal record
Para Archery
Representing  Canada
Parapan American Games
Silver medal – second place 2015 Toronto Women's compound

Karen Van Nest (born 29 September 1962) is a Canadian Paralympic archer and shooter. She is a Parapan American Games medalist and has competed in six Paralympic Games.

Early life

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Van Nest is originally from North Bay, Ontario.[3] At age 23, she lost her left leg in a motorcycle accident.[3]

Career

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Van Nest began shooting in 1996.[4] She qualified for Canada’s Paralympic team in 1998, placing fourth at the 2000 Paralympics. She finished fifth at the 2004 Paralympics and tenth at the 2008 Paralympics.[5] In 2006, she won a bronze medal at the world championships in rowing.[4]

Van Nest began para archery in 2008, at the age of 46.[6] She switched from shooting to archery after she experienced problems with her right shoulder,[6][7] and made her Paralympic archery debut at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. At the 2014 Pan Am Championships she won bronze in the women's compound open and silver in mixed team.[4][8] She won silver at the 2015 Parapan American Games in women’s compound open, losing by eight points to Jane Karla Gögel of Brazil.[9] At the 2016 Summer Paralympics, Van Nest came fourth in the women's compound open.[10] Van Nest won gold in the women’s compound open at the 2017 Para Pan American Championships[11] and bronze in the same event at the Championships the following year.[12] She competed in archery at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Athlete Profile". paralympic.org. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  2. ^ "World Archery Extranet". extranet.worldarchery.org. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b Cowan, Greg (29 July 2021). "Van Nest selected to Team Canada for sixth Paralympic Games". The Sun Times. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Pilla welcomes Multi Olympic Sport Para Athlete, Karen Van Nest". PILLA SPORT CANADA. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Van Nest hopes Games inspire Canadian kids". Brampton Guardian. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  6. ^ a b Kavanaugh, Brenna (27 August 2021). "Canadian para archer Van Nest moves on from ranking round with confidence". The Toronto Observer. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Karen Van Nest". paralympic.ca. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Karen Van Nest". Canadian Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  9. ^ Battersby, Sarah-Joyce (10 August 2015). "Canadian archer Karen Van Nest takes Parapan Am Games silver despite jitters". OurWindsor.ca. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Le parcours de l'archère Karen Van Nest s'arrête en huitièmes de finale". Radio-Canada (in Canadian French). 16 September 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  11. ^ "US men's compound set new world record". International Paralympic Committee. 8 May 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  12. ^ "European and Pan Am archery champions crowned". International Paralympic Committee. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Para archer Karen Van Nest named to Tokyo 2020 Canadian Paralympic Team". Canadian Paralympic Committee. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
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