Jennifer Krempien
Wheelchair Basketball Athlete - Inducted 2009
Jennifer Krempien was introduced to wheelchair basketball when she was nine years old. In 1992, at age 17 and just out of high school, she was on the podium at the Barcelona Paralympic Games with a wheelchair basketball gold medal. This was the starting point of an amazing elite athlete who would be on the national team until she retired from competition in 2008.
Jennifer Krempien competed at five Paralympic Games on the women’s wheelchair basketball team, winning gold medals at Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, and Sydney 2000. She won a Paralympic bronze medal at Athens 2004 and finished 5th at Beijing 2008. In Beijing, she averaged 35 minutes of playing time per game (most games are 40 minutes) and was one of the best players on the team.
Jennifer Krempien is a four-time Gold Cup World Champion and was named to the World All-Star Team in 1998 and in 2002. She was the heart and soul of the number-one ranked team in the world. Her leadership was rewarded as she was named co-captain of the team for the last four years she played. She was selected to be the flag bearer for Canada at the 2007 ParaPanamerican Games in Rio de Janerio.
In 2008, the City of St. Albert, where Jennifer Krempien was born and raised, honoured her with a key to the city in recognition of her sporting achievements. Jennifer Krempien moved to British Columbia in 2000, where she continues to be a community leader, volunteers in many different areas, and strives to build awareness of wheelchair basketball.
After Induction
Served on the Wheelchair Basketball Canada Board of Directors as the VP Athlete Representative from 2008-2010 2008 - 2010
Served on Wheelchair Basketball Canada Board of Directors as the VP Athlete Representative 2010
2nd place at CWBL Women’s Championship with Edmonton Inferno in Saskatoon, SK (domestic)
2013 - Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame
2013 - Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
