CBC News reported today that Josh Dueck who sustained a spinal cord injury in 2004 has been shorlisted for National Geographic's adventurer of the year.

Dueck, 31, has since won Olympic and World Cup medals on a sit-ski and this year did the same back flip that put him in a wheelchair. "I definitely see life as so much more than a physical body and I don't see my physical limitations."

His story spawned a documentary, got him an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show and now the National Geographic nod.

"It blew me away," Dueck told CBC News. "National Geographic is such a big deal. My dad was such a big fan of National Geographic. I was as excited to share the news with him."

Dueck's competition is stiff, including the Austrian who free jumped from the stratosphere.