English (Change)
Français20 August 2008
Chantal Petitclerc receives send-off to Beijing from Rio Tinto Alcan employees
Rio Tinto Alcan employees presented Chantal Petitclerc with their best wishes and a special good luck charm at a ceremony marking her departure for the upcoming Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.
"Over our 10 year partnership, Chantal has been a great source of motivation for Rio Tinto Alcan. She has met thousands of employees during plant tours in Quebec, Europe, Australia and the United States, encouraging them to pursue their dreams," said Dick Evans, Chief Executive. "We wish to thank Chantal for her inspiration and wish her good luck in Beijing."
Mr. Evans also presented Ms. Petitclerc with a lucky charm pendant, featuring a medallion designed by Gordon Norfolk, a Rio Tinto Alcan employee in Australia, as well as a message book with inscriptions from employees at Maison Alcan.
Going into her fifth appearance at this event, Ms. Petitclerc has already won 16 Paralympic medals - nine of them gold - and one more spot on the podium would give her the most medals in Paralympic sports history.
As part of her highly successful athletic career, Ms. Petitclerc also holds several world records and is the only Canadian athlete to have won medals at the Paralympic, Olympic, and Commonwealth Games. In 2004, she was awarded the Laureus Prize as Paralympic Athlete of the Year and named Sports Canada Female Athlete of the Year.
In China, she will be competing in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m racing events. The 2008 Paralympic games run from September 6 to 17.
About Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and NYSE listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.
Rio Tinto's business is finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. Major products are aluminium, copper, diamonds, energy (coal and uranium), gold, industrial minerals (borax, titanium dioxide, salt, talc) and iron ore. Activities span the world but are strongly represented in Australia and North America with significant businesses in South America, Asia, Europe and southern Africa.
For further information, please contact:
Rio Tinto Alcan Media Relations, Canada
Stefano Bertolli
Tel.: +1 514 848 1202
stefano.bertolli@riotinto.com
Media Contact for Chantal Petitclerc
Guy Ménard, Olympe Inc.
Tel.: +1 514 966 5930
Website: http://www.chantalpetitclerc.com