2015 marks the Year of Sport and the 60th anniversary of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. In recognition of these important milestones, OLM will be featuring Honoured Members of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in a weekly Profile piece.
Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame aims to share the stories and achievements of its Honoured Members to inspire Canadians in all aspects of life.
Marnie McBean: Athlete, Rowing
Rowing champion Marnie McBean is Canada’s most successful Olympic Summer Games athlete with 12 World and Olympic medals to her name. The enormous wake of her success continues to be felt by the country today through her mentorship and activism in the larger community.
McBean first began rowing at 18-years-old when she signed up for a Learn-to-Row program at the Argonaut Rowing Club in Toronto. She was inspired to take on the sport after seeing rowing in a television commercial for Coffee Crisp.
Her most successful national team partner was Kathleen Heddle. Together they dominated the world rowing scene in the 1990’s, becoming the first Canadians to win three Olympic Summer Games Gold medals. Two of these were won at the 1992 Olympic Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain and the other was at the 1996 Olympic Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to her Olympic victories, McBean holds three World Cup, eight U.S. and three Canadian titles.
Although McBean was forced to withdraw from the 2000 Summer Olympic Games due to a back injury, she continued to stay involved in the sphere of professional sports. Between 2006 and 2014, she mentored Canadian Olympic Teams and supported the athletes as a specialist in athlete preparation.
Today McBean works as a speaker, mentor and author, drawing on her lifetime of personal excellence to help others achieve their goals. She also graciously gives her time to be an ambassador for causes including Right to Play, Fast and Female and Plan Canada’s Because I am a Girl initiative.
For more information on Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, click here.
