We pack a lot into the pages of every issue of Kayak, but there’s always more great stuff we just can’t fit in. So join Teeka and Beau, our otter mascots, to find out more about the theme of each issue, or just pick up some random bits of Canadian history.
Olympic Heroes from our past
Canada’s Olympic history is rich with stories of achievement, dedication, and courage. Here, we take a look at some of the incredible athletes who brought Olympic glory to our country. Check out these eleven inspiring Canadian Olympians:
Étienne Desmarteau
Étienne Desmarteau was a shy, quiet Montreal policeman. He was also a world champion in a track and field event called weight throwing.
In 1904, Étienne was determined to compete in the Summer Olympic Games in St. Louis, USA. He asked for time off work, but his bosses said no. Étienne decided to go anyway, and he was fired from his job.
But for Étienne, it was worth it. In St. Louis, he competed in the 56-pound weight-throwing event… and won. As a result, he became the first Canadian to win an individual Olympic gold medal for Canada.
Étienne received a hero’s welcome when he returned home to Montreal. Even better, he got his job back! (Photo: CP Photo/COA)
Percy Williams
When Percy Williams was a teenager, he was struck with rheumatic fever. He ended up with a damaged heart. Doctors told him to avoid competitive sports, since too much strain could harm his fragile health.
But Percy didn’t listen. Instead, he took up sprinting. He trained hard to develop explosive speed. Percy got so fast that he made it to the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
No one thought this skinny, unknown Canadian had any chance of winning. But Percy captured gold medals in both the 100m and 200m sprint events. To this day, he remains the only Canadian ever to win gold in these two events at the same Olympic Games. (Photo: CP Photo/COA)
Fanny Rosenfeld
Fanny Rosenfeld was one of Canada’s greatest athletes. She was a star player in tennis, basketball, softball, and hockey. But she really excelled at track and field.
Throughout the early 1920s, Fanny broke national and international records in track and field events. Then, in 1928, she became a member of Canada’s first women’s Olympic team.
Fanny did very well at the Amsterdam Olympics. She won gold in the 4 × 100m relay and silver in the 100m sprint. She also placed fifth in the 800m race, an event she’d never even trained for! (Photo: Canadian Sports Hall of Fame/Rosenfeld Collection)
Phil Edwards
Phil Edwards was born in British Guyana. As a young man, he moved to Montreal to study medicine… and to advance his running career. He soon became one of Canada’s most prized track and field stars.
Phil won more Olympic medals than any other athlete competing for Canada in the 20th century. In all, he picked up five bronze medals from three Olympic Games:
• One bronze in 1928 for the 4 × 400m relay
• Three bronzes in 1932, for the 800m, 1500m and 4 × 400m relay
• One bronze in 1936 for the 800m
These great accomplishments earned Phil the nickname “Man of Bronze.” (Photo: Library and Archives Canada, PA-150992)
Irene MacDonald
Irene MacDonald was one of Canada’s top-ranked divers, and a strong medal contender at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.
Unfortunately, Irene ran into some bad luck at the Games. Her right arm began to ache from a condition called bursitis. Every time Irene lifted her arms, she felt terrible pain.
Just as she was about to make her second dive in the springboard finals, the pain became too much to bear. Irene left the diving board, cringing. Canada’s hopes for a diving medal looked dashed.
But Irene pushed through the pain. She finished the competition with two beautiful dives… and a bronze medal! It was Canada’s first ever Olympic diving medal. (Photo: Canadian Sports Hall of Fame/Irene MacDonald Collection)
Arnold Boldt
Arnie Boldt lost his right leg in a farming accident when he was three years old. But that didn’t stop him from becoming one of the most celebrated high jumpers ever.
In 1976, Arnie competed in his first Paralympics. (The Paralympics are games for elite athletes with a disability. They are held in the same year as the Olympics.) Arnie won his first gold in the high jump at the 1976 Games. This sparked one of the longest winning streaks in sports history. Arnie went on to win the gold in high jump at every Paralympics until 1992!
During his Paralympic career he also captured gold and silver medals in long jump.
Anne Ottenbrite
Anne Ottenbrite planned to swim her way to gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, USA.
But her plan hit a rough patch. In May 1984, she dislocated her kneecap. This injury prevented her from competing for a spot on the 1984 Canadian Olympic Team. Luckily, Canadian officials decided to give her a spot on the team anyway.
They didn’t regret their decision. Anne’s knee healed in time, and she won a gold medal in the 200m breaststroke, a silver in the 100m breaststroke, and a bronze in the 400m medley relay. It was the best-ever Olympic performance by a Canadian female swimmer.
Lawrence Lemieux
Larry Lemieux competed as a sailor at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, South Korea. Though he didn’t win a medal, he was still an Olympic hero.
On September 24, 1988, a Finn-class sailing race was underway, despite stormy weather. Larry was in second place when he spotted an overturned boat nearby. The boat belonged to two Singapore sailors who had been competing in a different event. Both men were injured and in danger, bobbing in the waves.
Larry pulled out of the race and rescued the sailors. This cost him his chance at an Olympic medal. But his selfless act earned him worldwide respect and a special award for sportsmanship.
Sylvie Frechette
In early 1992, Sylvie Fréchette was ranked the number one synchronized swimmer in the world. It seemed certain that she would win gold at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. But then tragedy struck. Sylvie’s fiancé died just days before she had to leave for Barcelona. Despite her grief, Sylvie went to the Games and swam the best performances of her life.
Sylvie should have won the gold medal. But, due to a scoring error, she came in second place. It was unfair, but Sylvie didn’t complain. She accepted her silver medal with pride. Sixteen months later, Olympic officials presented Sylvie with the gold medal she deserved.
Sylvie went on to win silver in the team event at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Silken Laumann
Silken Laumann won three Olympic medals during her rowing career — a bronze in 1984, a bronze in 1992, and a silver in 1996. These medals were great achievements. But the bronze she won at the 1992 Summer Olympics was extra special.
About 10 weeks before those Games, Silken was in an accident that left her lower right leg in shreds. Doctors said she might never row again. But Silken trained as much as she could from her hospital bed. Later, though she could barely walk, she would struggle into her boat and row.
Silken made it to the Barcelona Games and won bronze in the single sculls event. Her determination was an inspiration to the world.
Donovan Bailey
Donovan Bailey didn’t begin training seriously in track and field until the early 1990s. But by 1995, he was the world champion in the 100m sprint. As a result, Canada had high hopes for him at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, USA.
He didn’t disappoint. Donovan ran the Olympic 100m final in a world-record time of 9.84 seconds. This earned him the gold, and the title “World’s Fastest Man.”
Later that week, he won another gold as part of the Canadian men’s 4 × 100m relay team. With that win, Donovan became the first Canadian track athlete to bring home two gold medals from a single Summer Games since Percy Williams in 1928.
This article first appeared in the July/August 2008 issue of Kayak: Canada's History for Kids. Subscribe today!