He has won two silver medals and three bronze medals in two Olympic Games so far. Velma Springstead was a Canadian athlete best remembered for winning a gold medal at the 1925 Canadian Track and Field Championships in Halifax. And that wasn't the end of it. Jamaican-born Canadian bobsledder Lascelles Brown is an Olympic silver medalist and a former World Champion. Top 10 Female Athletes [ edit] Nancy Greene (born 1943), skier Silken Laumann (born 1964), rower Barbara Ann Scott (1928-2012), figure skater Myriam Bdard (born 1969), biathlon Marnie McBean (born 1968), rower Fanny "Bobbie" Rosenfeld (1904-1969), track-and-field (voted female athlete of the first half of the century) updated May 7, 2015, 5:50 pm, by We recognize the resilience of Indigenous storytellers and Knowledge Keepers who have kept their stories alive despite attempts to silence them. She also set Canadian womens records in the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly. She was named Canadas Athlete of the Year in 1967 and followed it up with another World Cup title in 1968, as well as a gold and silver medal in the Olympics and another gold medal at the world championships. Ben Johnson who held the record of being the fastest man in the world during the 1980s was a Canadian. Two-time Olympic medalist Canadian sprinter Aaron Brown has also been a World Champion in 2022. He was born on 26th January 1961. Now such a list will undoubtedly bring about some strong opinions (rightfully so) so lets just get a few things out of the way first. Sharon Firth said: "The world was so fascinated by us skinny indian girls and boys and how we danced on skis. She intends to go for gold again with the Stars and Stripes at Beijing 2022. Despite the late entry into sprinting, De Grasse burst onto the scene in 2015 by winning the 100m and 200m events at the NCAA Championships while representing the University of Southern California. Fiction Feature: Its Manitoba in 1888. He also led the 4 x 100m relay team to a gold medal in the same Olympics. He was the first Canadian, and first Cubs pitcher, to win a Cy Young Award as the leagues best pitcher and accumulated over 3,000 strikeouts in his long career. Mathieu Drouin is the culture and education manager at Muse des Ursulines de Qubec City. She's a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, the IIHF Hall of Fame and is currently the Assistant Director of Player Development for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Widely considered as the greatest all-around player in hockey history, Howe set the bar by playing until age 52, a mark that has never been beat. Tom Longboat was an Onondaga athlete who specialized in distance running. Her biggest win so far in her career is a victory at the 2016 KPMG Womens PGA Championship. Three hundred and seventy-five years ago, a small group of French settlers faced unthinkable hardship and danger to establish what would become the great city of Montral. The Canadian Press awards the Lionel Conacher award to the countrys male athlete of the year. Ron Turcotte is a Canadian former race horse jockey. The gifted playmaker returned to Phoenix in 2004 where he won back to back NBA MVP Awards. Alexandre Lippmann, French fencer (pe), Olympic champion. While growing up in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, she was quite the fastball player, representing Canada at the world junior championships at one point. updated August 31, 2017, 8:31 pm, Top 10 Canadian Athletes in The World Right Now, The 10 best women volleyball players in the world, Top 20 Most Famous Female Volleyball Players in the World, Top 10 Best Sports for Girls to Play and Their Benefits, The Top 20 Tallest Soccer Players of All Time, Top 15 Most Bizarre Sports That Actually Exist, 20 Hottest Female Volleyball Players (2023 Updated), 10 Internet Hoaxes Almost Everybody Believed, 10 Camping Pranks That Bring a Lot of Fun Outdoors, Top 10 Crazy Pranks to Pull on Your Brother, 10 Mass Panic Caused By Seemingly Harmless Pranks, Hot Bolivian Women: Meet The 10 Most Beautiful Girl from Bolivia, Top 10 Most Beautiful and Hottest Cambodian Women. If you lived in North America or Europe in the 1960s and 70s, she was famous as they come. For instance, though there have been several notable Canadian baseball players, Fergie Jenkins was the first Canadian to win the Cy Young Award. For a time, Canadian sprinter Donovan Bailey held the record as the fastest man in the world. In that vein, here are, in my opinion, the five greatest French-speaking skaters and goalies of all time. The 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, women were allowed to compete in track and field for the first time and the Canadian women headed straight to the podium. This whole list could be populated with hockey players, but to add a little variety, Ive chosen to limit their representation on the list. From 1915 to 1940, the Edmonton Grads won 502 games and lost only 20, beating the world's best teams from the United States and Europe. In 1916 she married Pierre Casgrain, a federal Liberal politician. Or, in the case of the Canadian women's hockey team, back-to-back-to-back-to-back. Historic Irish neighbourhood is enjoying a renaissance. Wiggins entered the NBA in 2014 after being chosen first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Entry Draft. In 2019, The Sports Network named Rachel Homan the fourth-greatest Canadian female curler of all time. Birthplace: Bruges, Belgium; raised in France. Access KelownaNow using your Facebook account, or by entering your information below. Desai Williams also worked as a coach and trained Olympic athletes like Phylicia George, Justyn Warner, and Tremaine Harris among others. They're the most successful team in Canadian history, winning an astounding 95 per cent of their matches. This International Women's Day, let's celebrate some of Canada's female heroes of the past and not-so distant past. Donovan Bailey A large part of that is the career of Christine Sinclair, who can be considered one of the best females to ever play the game. In the early 2000s, Mike Weir was the guy from Canada and he was one of the best players on tour. After a spinal cord injury at 15, he became a paraplegic. Starting off our list we have Andrew Wiggins, the professional basketball player from the NBAs Minnesota Timberwolves. The former Canadian senator is better known as the best alpine skier of her day. Take a trip to Montreal with this audiowalk to learn about the citys history. They set off the following spring, reaching le de Montral and founding Ville-Marie. His best-known role was Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride in 1987. Steve Nashs stature may not immediately make you regard him as an amazing basketball player, but you know what they say about judging books by their covers. Hundreds of thousands came out to celebrate and in 1950, Rosenfeld was named Canada's female athlete of the first half of the century. A significant milestone, but even more significant is that hes also the first Canadian to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Elected in the Montral suburb of Verchres, he became co-premier of the unified Province of Canada along with John A. Macdonald. Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted. He was the youngest player to ever win 2 titles at 3 tennis grand slams and the first one to win the French Championship Grand Slam title in mens single in 1925. The first Canadian-born athlete to hold an official world track record, three-time Olympian Harry Jerome broke the Canadian record in the 220-yard dash when he was only 18 years old. Christine Sinclair Hometown: Burnaby, B.C. Playing in other North American professional leagues, Former NCAA Division I players awaiting professional play. 50.97, Ethel Smith is the most famous Canadian Athlete. 4 Biathlon. Wickenheiser also represented Canada once in the Summer Olympics as a part of the softball team. Thousands and thousands of girls hit the slopes to be just like Nancy. He also won a gold medal at the 1981 Pacific Conference Games and at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. Posted on Published: November 16, 2021- Last updated: January 6, 2023. He is a Black Belt in both Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. 22. 2 Donovan Bailey Steve Nash Hometown: Johannesburg, South Africa (immigrated to Regina, Saskatchewan then Victoria, B.C.). Canada's greatest wheelchair racer of all-time blazes trails wherever her career takes her - as an athlete, advocate or politician. Percy Williams was a Canadian athlete best remembered for winning two gold medals at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. Christine Sinclair, one of the best female soccer players ever, comes in at #8 on our list. The Society is committed to sharing and amplifying Indigenous histories, perspectives, and voices and walking together with Indigenous peoples on the path to truth and reconciliation. Percy Williams is widely regarded as the greatest Canadian Olympic athlete of all time. At her first Olympics at London 2012, George made the 100 hurdles final, finishing sixth. Sidney Crosby is regarded as one of the best hockey players of all time and has amassed over 1200 points over his fifteen-year playing career alongside eight all-star appearances and three Stanley Cups. In 2022, Andre De Grasse won a gold medal at the World Championships. Hughes is known for her athletic achievements as well as her humanitarian work. Like Terry Fox, Rick Hansen is often honoured for his courage and strength against adversity, but hes also celebrated as a truly gifted athlete. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); We kicked off our series of Canada 150 articles last week with Canadas 15 best ski resorts. 9 Freestyle skiing. In 1980, Ron Turcotte was elected as a member of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. She's the only female Paralympian to win the Lou Marsh Award as the top athlete in Canada (2008). Milos Raonic, a tennis player, was born in the former Yugoslavia, but moved with his family to Canada when he was 3 years old. Moyse - the best pusher in the world - was a team-sport star from PEI and member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame. Mark McKoy is a three-time Commonwealth champion, having won gold medals at the 1982 and 1986 Commonwealth Games. Rick Hansen Like Terry Fox, Rick Hansen is often honoured for his courage and strength against adversity, but he's also celebrated as a truly gifted athlete. He has also earned the Best Young Player and French Player of the Year awards for his stellar performances. In 1910 he founded the newspaper Le Devoir to share his perspective. She's got her eyes on a fourth Games in Tokyo this summer. After retiring from tennis in 1932, he became pretty busy with his inventions, filing 20 new patents between the 1960s and 80s. Throughout his career in both politics and journalism, he fought for the protection of minorities namely Canadians in the Commonwealth and French-Canadians outside Qubec. Not only that, his heart was on the right side of his chest. Christine Sinclair is a Canadian soccer player who plays for the Canadian national team as a forward. She is currently ranked an impressive 8th in the world at her sport, a position that she will no doubt surpass in the future. In 1942, she ran for federal election as a Liberal and lost. Nancy Greene Widely regarded as Canada's top female athlete of the 20th century, Greene was a trailblazer for female Canadian athletes. Andrew Stawicki/Toronto Star via Getty Images. She's an advocate for persons with disabilities and has served as Canada's chef de mission for the 2016 Rio Paralympic team and the 2014 Commonwealth Games team. Same result champions. Given the overwhelming reasons to be proud of our nations athletic output, what better time to look at the all time great athletes Canada hasgiven the sports world. A true family affair. He campaigned for greater independence for Lower Canada, which was dominated by an influential British minority. The list is made up from athletes whose skills are undeniable, as well as their place within their respective sport and their representation of Canada. Olympic silver medalist Canadian long-distance runner Mohammed Ahmed scripted history as Canadas first medal winner at the 5,000m at both the World Championships and the Olympics. He is also a former Commonwealth Champion and a 2-time World Champion. If you don't already know these athletes, you should. Introducing a few of the many Montralers who became important figures in Canadian history. or back-to-back World Cup overall titles, Greene Raine ruled the slopes and inspired the next generation of ski racers, male and female. Guy Carleton (1724-1808) Sir Guy (later the Baron Dorchester) was an early and important British governor of the new English colony of Quebec, serving from 1768-1778 and then 1786-1796.He oversaw the implementation of the Quebec Act (1774), which aimed to create social peace with the French-Canadians while still asserting English political control. The famous athlete was nicknamed 'The Big Train'. Ethel May Smith (July 5, 1907 - December 31, 1979) was a sprinter from Canada who won two medals at the Amsterdam 1928 Summer Olympics: a bronze medal in the 100 m, and a gold team medal in the 4 100 m relay. 1. She has been tireless in advocating for fitness and an active lifestyle and at 76 years old, she's still carving turns. Crosby also won two Olympic gold medals with Canada, including the 2010 final, where he scored a famous golden goal in the finals. Though they went undefeated (27-0) through FOUR Olympic Games (1924-1936), there were no gold medals to show around their necks. by Zidane is a Muslim of Algerian-French descent. He later coached the US Naval Academy team and also co-designed a safer hurdle. A native of Smith Falls, Ontario, Henderson also represented Canada at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. One of the enduring memories of the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games was that of moguls gold medallist Justine Dufour-Lapointe standing on the top step of the podium, looking to her right and holding hands with her older sister Chloe, the silver medallist. Canada's national men's soccer team leaves much to be desired and are currently ranked 78th in the world. This week its the top 15 athletes in Canadas decorated sports history. Cartier persuaded French Canadians that this type of union would be more sympathetic to the French Catholic cause than an alliance with the United States. She moved on to ski cross in Sochi 2014 and was predicted to be in the medal hunt at PyeongChang 2018 until she broke both legs in a World Cup event just before the Games. 7 Curling. Nicknamed the Man of Bronze, Phil Edwards won five bronze medals for Canada at the Olympic Games between 1928 and 1936. Olympic gold medalist Canadian athlete Fanny Bobbie Rosenfeld earned the nickname Bobbie for the bob cut she sported. In Brazil, she competed in track cycling where she collected her first-ever podium finish, a bronze in the team pursuit. As the captain of Canadas hockey team, Philip-Poulin has led her team to two Olympic gold medals plus a silver medal. Oendrila De You could debate about which male hockey player on this list is the best, but theres not much doubt that Hayley Wickenheiser is the greatest female hockey player in history. Let's take an appreciation for how difficult it is to OWN your sport for back-to-back Olympics. Steve Nash was initially drafted by the Phoenix Suns in 1996, but was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998 where established himself as one of the leagues best passers. His skating ability, offensive skill, and great hockey IQ have convinced many people that he will soon be (if he isnt already) the best hockey player in the world. That was then. Brooke has been a top-10 competitor on the LPGA for a couple years now, but she's still just 21 years old. He also won a gold medal at the 1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Top 10 Canadian Athletes Right Now Sidney Crosby - Hockey Penny Oleksiak - Swimming Andre De Grasse - Track and field Milos Raonic - Tennis Damian Warner Derek Drouin - High jumper Brooke Henderson - Golf Christine Sinclair - Soccer Connor McDavid - Hockey Andrew Wiggins - Basketball Eugenie Bouchard - Tennis Between Shirley and Sharon, they won 48 Canadian championships. Canadas National History Society acknowledges that we meet and work across the ancestral lands of many Indigenous peoples: First Nations, Inuit, and Mtis. Clara Hughes has won six Olympic medals and also has an unusual record as being one of the only athletes in the world to have won medals at both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games. Also, Crosby is a complete player with few, if any, weaknesses in his game. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Oleksiak is a freestyle and butterfly swimmer who won 4 medals (a record for a Canadian athlete at a single Summer Olympics) at the Rio Olympics: gold in the 100m freestyle, silver in the 100m butterfly, and bronze in both the 4 x 100m and 4 x 200m freestyle relays. Through her perseverance and dedication to Montral, Jeanne Mance paved the way for what would become the most important city in Canada between 1880 and 1950. Three-time Olympian Canadian track and field athlete and bobsledder Phylicia George is also an Olympic bronze medalist in the two-woman bobsleigh category. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. When you have those kinds of stats, you can find yourself on a Google Doodle or in a Heritage Minute. A 4-time Olympian and an Olympic gold medalist, retired Canadian track and field athlete Bruny Surin has been a master of the 4100m relay. Christian via wrestlingrumors.net Christian was pigeonholed for the longest time as a "tag team specialist" and for the most part he was exactly that early on in his career. Gretzky is the only NHL player to ever total more than 200 points in a single season, and he didnt just do it once, but four times. She sings in both French and English, layering beautiful vocal hooks and incredible musical arrangements into one awesome package. Zidane, popularly called Zizou by his adoring fans, is one of the eight players to have won the World Cup, the Ballon dOr, and the Champions League. named GSP the Canadian Athlete of the Year in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and only Anderson Silva (2,457 days) had a longer title run than GSP (2,204 days). Let's take a look at Team Canada's dual-season Olympians. She won the French road race Championship that same year. 1 ranking from 1926 to 1927. He bred and raced Standardbred horses as a hobby. She won the French road race Championship that same year. In 2001, he became part of NBAs San Antonio Spurs team as a pointguard and went on to become a 4-time NBA champion. The poorly organized revolt was quickly suppressed, and Papineau went into exile. They became just the third trio of sisters to compete in the same individual event at the Winter Games. JB Blanc (born 1969), actor; father of French descent. He has been knighted by the Quebec government. Off the field, she continues to be a inspiration to countless Canadian girls with their own dreams of athletic glory. You probably don't know these names, but you should. Marcheline Bertrand, actress of half French-Canadian ancestry, mother of actress Angelina Jolie. Guillemot held world records in 2,000 meters and 3,000 meters. Being the best at one sport is quite an accomplishment, but being the best at two sports is phenomenal. Sufia Banu Harold Ballard was made an inductee of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1977 and 1987 respectively. Her bronze in the 5,000 metres in Vancouver was epic.