(OTTAWA, ONT.) – After over seven years with the Senior Women’s National Team and three Paralympic appearances, Rosalie Lalonde has officially announced her retirement from Team Canada.
Lalonde most recently helped Canada earn a fourth-place finish at the Paris Paralympics last summer—the team’s best result in two decades.
“Paris was probably my most intense, challenging, but also exciting and rewarding experience,” Lalonde said. “I felt an immense pressure on my shoulders, but as they say, ‘pressure is a privilege.’ I’ve never felt so much support from the outside world—I truly felt that people believed in us. Every game felt like going into battle, and the team and I were ready to strike first.
“The adrenaline I felt can’t be reproduced; it’s a moment I will always remember and cherish.”
Lalonde was introduced to wheelchair basketball in 2011. Though she initially had little interest in the sport, her mother encouraged her to give it a chance.
She started in a minis program in Quebec, where she developed her skills before earning a spot on the provincial junior team and later the women’s provincial team.
“I want to thank my family and my physiotherapist for pushing me into wheelchair basketball, something I was initially very reluctant to try,” she said. “Thank you to my parents for encouraging me, supporting me, and driving me to all my practices and tournaments in the beginning. Thank you to my brother, Collin, for his unwavering support and for challenging me—still to this day—to become a better player and a better mentor for the next generation.
“I would like to thank my community in St-Clet for greatly supporting local athletes. I am proud to be a small-town girl. I also want to acknowledge all my coaches and teammates throughout my career. Every single person has had an impact on me.”
Lalonde attributes much of her inspiration, both on and off the court, to the late Maude Jacques.
“Before becoming a friend and teammate, Maude was my inspiration and role model,” said Lalonde. “For the first time, I had a woman I could identify with in many ways, sharing a common passion and goal. As a young teenager still trying to accept my condition, it truly made a difference in my life.”
Lalonde made her debut with the SWNT at the 2015 Parapan American Games, playing a role in Canada’s silver medal performance in Toronto. That same year, she represented Canada at the Women’s U25 World Championship in Beijing, where the team secured a fourth-place finish.
Her Paralympic debut came in 2016, when she was the youngest member of Team Canada at the Rio Games.
The 27-year-old played a key role in helping the SWNT secure a spot at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, averaging 20 minutes per game as Canada claimed gold at the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru.
After competing in Tokyo, she took a two-year break before returning for the 2023 Parapan American Games, where she contributed to Canada’s silver medal finish in Santiago, Chile.
Lalonde helped Canada punch its ticket to the 2024 Paralympics with a strong performance at the IWBF Repechage Tournament last spring in Osaka.
Reflecting on her career, Lalonde pointed to her first international tournament – the 2013 Youth Parapan American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina – as a career highlight.
“It was my first step into the world of high-performance sport,” Lalonde said. “I loved it, and I wanted more. When you’re at the beginning of your career, everything is exciting. Climbing the different levels of the sport is a very thrilling journey.”
The St-Clet, Que. native also represented Canada at the 2018 World Wheelchair Basketball Championships (fifth) and 2017 Americas Cup (first).
As she steps away from the National Team to pursue new challenges and projects, Lalonde felt the timing was right to retire.
“I began my career at a young age, and sports greatly impacted my growth—not only as an athlete but also as a person. I’ve had a great career and achieved many things, but I feel that greater opportunities are waiting for me,” said Lalonde.
“I returned to the National Team after a two-year break because it was important to me to end my career the right way and develop a healthy relationship with the sport. My biggest achievement has been having my family and my partner by my side at the Paris Games. They are my biggest supporters and the main reason for my success. I needed them at the end of my career, and I’m grateful they were there. I am proud of myself and thankful for everything the sport has given me.”
About Wheelchair Basketball Canada
Wheelchair Basketball Canada (WBC) is the national sports governing body responsible for the organization of the sport in Canada. It is a non-profit, charitable organization committed to excellence in developing, supporting, and promoting wheelchair basketball programs and services from grassroots to high performance for all Canadians. Wheelchair basketball is a fast-paced, hard-hitting, competitive sport in which Canada is held in high esteem worldwide for winning six gold, one silver, and one bronze medal over the last nine Paralympic Games. WBC will host the 2026 IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships from September 9-19, 2026.
For more information on WBC, please visit Wheelchairbasketball.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
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For more information, please contact:
Dhiren Mahiban
Communications & Digital Media Manager
Wheelchair Basketball Canada
C: 416-574-6682
dmahiban@wheelchairbasketball.ca