Sarah Hunter enters Surrey Sports Hall of Fame
Published 6:15 am Thursday, June 11, 2026
Eighth in a series of 10 profiles of 2026 Surrey Sports Hall of Fame inductees, celebrated as the hall’s inaugural class during a June 2 ceremony at Surrey City Hall.
Sarah Hunter, High Performance Athlete
A South Surrey resident, Sarah Hunter began her athletic career in lacrosse, joining Coquitlam Adanacs in 1990. During her time with the team, they maintained a decade-long winning streak and captured national titles each year through 1993. She later competed on the national team until a spinal cord injury in 1997 shifted her path. In her 30s, she discovered wheelchair tennis and quickly excelled.
Sarah rose to international prominence, competing in ITF World Team Cups, Grand Slams, and the Paralympics in 2004 and 2008. In Athens, she placed fifth in singles and fourth in doubles, and reached a career-high World No. 2 Quad Singles ranking—the highest ever for a Canadian in the sport. After injuries sidelined her in 2011–2012, she returned to elite competition in 2013.
Over her career, Sarah won 11 Canadian singles and seven doubles titles. She was a three-time Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association Female Athlete of the Year and twice received the Sport BC Harry Jerome Comeback Award. She retired as one of Canada’s most accomplished para-athletes and its most decorated wheelchair tennis player from 2017–2025.
Today, Sarah continues to shape the sport as the Provincial Wheelchair Tennis Coach for the BC Wheelchair Sports Association. Her impact has been widely recognized, including a nomination for the 2024 Sport BC Female Coach of the Year, and she has helped expand opportunities for women and girls in para-sport.
Source: Surrey Sports Hall of Fame