When I got a chance to go see Paralympic cross-country skiing in Whistler last week, I never held back. Some of the people I know were questioning the aesthetic appeal of seated Paralympic cross-country skiing, but as Canadian paraplegic athlete and activist Rick Hansen says, nowhere in the definition of an athlete does it say that you need to use your legs in order to be one.

When I got to Whistler Paralympic Park, I was surprised by the sizable crowd, and the variety of athletes I saw. It turned out the age difference between the youngest and the oldest competitors was 22 years. In fact, I noticed two grey-haired skiers zoom right by me as I was making my way into the stands. Both of them were 55 years of age and finished in the top 25. Another unusual sight - Gibson Lou, a black Canadian athlete originally from Barbados, finishing 27th. But, Russian men dominated the event with Irek Zaripov and Roman Petushkov getting gold and silver respectively.

Women's 10 km sitting race followed, bringing Canada its first Paralympic medal. But, the true highlight of the women's race was Russia's Svetlana Yaroshevich, who competes in both biathlon and cross-country skiing. Svetlana had difficulty on the last lap and took a while to finish the race. However, the flower ceremony would not start until Yaroshevich finished.

I was in the stands with a team of Russian volunteers who are here in Whistler to gain experience ahead of Sochi 2014. The guys told me Yaroshevich had an amazing life story. Svetlana used to be a freestyle wrestler. She was a five-time Russian champion, and a medalist at European and World championships. But, her wrestling career ended in 2003 when she got into a car accident that resulted in a serious spinal cord injury. But, she stayed in the sport, eventually making Russia's Paralympic Team.

Yaroshevich was the last competitor to finish the 10 km race on Sunday, but she did so to a loud applause from everyone in the stadium. One of the Russian volunteers told me, "I know Svetlana personally. She is a mega person." It sure felt like it for her to find the strength to complete the race knowing that the entire stadium was waiting for her to cross the finish line.

Whoever said Paralympics have less drama attached?