Elaine Tanner

Elaine Tanner
Personal information
Full name Elaine Tanner
Nickname(s) "Mighty Mouse"
National team  Canada
Born (1951-02-22) February 22, 1951
Vancouver, British Columbia
Height 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Weight 61 kg (134 lb)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Backstroke, butterfly, freestyle
Club Pacific Dolphins

Elaine Tanner-Watt, OC (born February 22, 1951) is a Canadian former competition swimmer. Olympic medallist, and former world record-holder in two events.

Career

Nicknamed "Mighty Mouse"[1] partly because of her small stature (standing barely five feet tall) and partly due to her competitive drive, Tanner had a large impact on Canadian swimming and is considered one of the top performers in the sport.[2]

During the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, Tanner won four gold medals and three silvers, becoming the first woman to ever win four golds at a Commonwealth Games.[3] She won the Lou Marsh Trophy, recognizing her as Canada's best athlete in 1966 — the youngest person to ever receive the award — and was also selected as the country's top athlete overall.[4] The following year at the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Tanner won two gold and three silver medals, breaking two world records in the process.[5] Tanner arrived at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City as a heavy medal favorite. She won three Olympic medals in Mexico City, including two individual silver medals and one relay bronze.[5] Suffering from depression, Tanner retired from competition after the 1968 Olympics at just 18 years of age.[5]

Awards and accolades

In 1969, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1971.[4] The Elaine Tanner Award has been presented to Canada’s top junior female athlete since 1972.[6]

Personal life

Tanner lives in White Rock, British Columbia, with her husband John Watt.[2]

See also

References

  1. "If dancing in parks were an Olympic event...". The Globe and Mail. September 16, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Promise after a painful past". The Province. May 28, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  3. "Elaine Tanner profile at famouscanadianwomen.com". Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  4. 1 2 "Canada Sports Hall of Fame Profile". Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 "B.C.'s all-time sporting greats". The Vancouver Sun. November 18, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
  6. "Elaine Tanner's life has come full circle". Oakville Beaver. March 28, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2009.

External links

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