Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Olympic Achievement

 Each summer along the terrace that lies below the Chateau Laurier and leads to Major's Hill Park, a thematic display is put up by the government. This year being an Olympic year, the theme was Canadian athletes of the Olympics and Paralympics. This first panel shows the Canadians coming in during the 1976 Montreal Olympics.


Tom Longboat was an indigenous runner who faced much of the same discrimination as his people, and yet represented the country in the marathon in 1908 in London.


Chantal Petitclerc has competed in multiple Paralympics from 1992 through 2008 in wheelchair racing, and has won 21 medals.


Clara Hughes has competed at both the Winter and Summer Olympics in speed skating and cycling, the only Canadian to win multiple medals in both versions. She's been a strong advocate for mental health, experiencing depression herself. I can relate to her on this one.


Rosie MacLennan has competed from Beijing through Tokyo, medaling in trampoline.


Harry Jerome competed in three Olympics in the 1960s, experiencing racism himself, but silencing critics by medaling in 1964 after sustaining an injury in 1962.


Jessica Tuomela has competed in the triathlon in four Paralympics.


Cindy Ouellet has competed at both the Winter and Summer Paralympics. Here she is seen playing wheelchair basketball.


Daniel Igali came from political unrest and violence in Nigeria to settle in Canada, and competed for his new country in wrestling, winning the gold medal in wrestling in 2000.


The Matchless Six were a group of Canadian women who competed in Amsterdam in 1928 in track and field.


Annie Guglia represented the country in skateboarding for the Tokyo Olympics.


One of the most inspiring stories in Canadian Olympic history. Silken Laumann competed in rowing at four Olympics. Ten weeks before the 1992 Games in Barcelona, she was in a bad accident that could have ended her career. Instead she rose to the occasion, winning a bronze that year, and a silver in Atlanta.


Timothy McIsaac won five medals as a swimmer at the Paralympics for Canada in 1976 as a blind swimmer.


One last panel of Canadian athletes doing what they do best.

26 comments:

  1. Wonderful. Very exciting read
    cheers

    ReplyDelete
  2. I used to be a big sports fan, but I have lost interest. I watched no more than a few hours from the Paris games. Lots of interesting history here though.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wonderful display of the Canadian athletes! Take care, have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  4. ...the Olympics no longer captures my attention.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't watch television, but at least try to follow some of it.

      Delete
  5. Inspiring. I watch a lot of the Olympics when they are on TV.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great info about Canadian Olympics

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
    clm ~ A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)
    `

    ReplyDelete
  7. A beautiful tribute to the Canadian Olympians and Paralympians.

    ReplyDelete
  8. An impressive list of athletes and their achievements!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What amazing accomplishments all these athletes achieved.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Amazing accomplishments by these athletes.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I hope the US can return to being more like Canada and less like Russia.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wheelchair basketball sounds exciting.

    ReplyDelete