Elaine Tanner
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Elaine Tanner | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | "Mighty Mouse" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg.png){kind=icon}
.svg.png){kind=icon}
.svg.png){kind=icon}
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
- List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
- World record progression 100 metres backstroke
- World record progression 200 metres backstroke
References
- ↑ "If dancing in parks were an Olympic event...". The Globe and Mail. September 16, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- 1 2 "Promise after a painful past". The Province. May 28, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- ↑ "Elaine Tanner profile at famouscanadianwomen.com". Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- 1 2 "Canada Sports Hall of Fame Profile". Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- 1 2 3 "B.C.'s all-time sporting greats". The Vancouver Sun. November 18, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- ↑ "Elaine Tanner's life has come full circle". Oakville Beaver. March 28, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2009.