It’s a Kamloops double-gold connection at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.

Kamloops native Greg Stewart and former Kamloops resident Cody Fournie are Olympic roommates who both happened to win gold medals this week.

Stewart won gold in the F46 men’s shot put with a throw of 16.38 metres while Fournie won Canada’s second gold of the games in the T51 200-metre wheelchair race in what was his first ever race at the Paralympics.

Fournie was a resident of Kamloops between the age of seven and 19 before he left for Alberta. The 35-year-old, who now calls Victoria home, says the seven-foot-two Stewart is hard to miss.

“He’s a wonderful guy, he’s enormous,” an excited Fournie told Radio NL’s Jon Keen. “I’m just a little guy. I’ve yet to ask him for a piggyback. I want to see what the air is like up there.”

Fournie admits his life in Kamloops was tough. He suffered a spinal cord injury and other complications at the age of 11 after he was struck by a vehicle on Tranquille Road.

He says the accident also led to memory loss and the inability to sweat, meaning he keeps a spray bottle close by to regulate his body temperature.

“[After the injury] I focused a lot on school,” Fournie said. “Getting paralyzed at such a young age was difficult. It forced me into an isolation bubble because quite frankly… kids don’t want to play with someone who’s disabled. I just focused on school trying to learn as much as I could.”

Speaking to NL Sports, Fournie admits he doesn’t think about his time in Kamloops very often but does remember the city’s calling card.

“I just remember the heat, and how hot it was,” he said.

Fournie turned to wheelchair rugby initially but found it wasn’t for him. He’s only been involved in wheelchair racing for a year and was quite surprised he won gold in Paris.

“It was a nice surprise. I wasn’t expecting that. My competitors all had better personal bests than my time in the race the other night,” Fournie, who will be competing in the T51 100-metre wheelchair race Friday, said.

He also says he isn’t a big fan of social media or his new-found celebrity status.

“I don’t take part in social media. I let my wife handle that,” Fournie said. “[The attention] is a little off-putting because I’m not used to it. I’m a bit of a home body. It’s an adjustment and I hope things go back to normal real quick.”

Fournie credits his support group in Victoria, his wife, and his faith as the biggest reason for his personal success.

“I found faith in a chance encounter with an old acquaintance of mine. It’s been life changing,” Fournie said, noting he can’t wait to share his Paralympic gold medal with his loved ones and his church group in Victoria.

More to come