Two Canadian Olympic gold medalists will be inducted into the 2019 Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame.In an announcement made on Monday, Simon Whitfield of Kingston, Ontario and Christine Girard of Elliot Lake, Ontario will be inducted at the CBC Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, Ontario on October 23.
Whitfield won the gold medal in men’s triathlon at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. He also won the silver medal in men’s triathlon at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Girard won the gold medal in women’s 63 kilogram weightlifting at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and a bronze medal in women’s 63 kilogram weightlifting at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
Two Canadian divers will also be inducted. Alexander Despatie of Montreal, Quebec won the silver medal in the men’s three metre springboard at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and then another silver medal in the men’s three metre springboard at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Emilie Heymans won the silver medal in the women’s 10 metre synchronized diving competition at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney with Anne Montminy of Montreal, Quebec. She also won silver in the women’s 10 metre platform at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and bronze medals in the women’s 10 metre synchronized diving at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens with Blythe Hartley of Edmonton, Alberta and the women’s three metre synchronized diving at the 2012 Olympic Games in London with Jennifer Abel of Montreal, Quebec.
There will also be two Canadian teams inducted. They will be the gold medal winning team in women’s hockey from the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver and the bronze medal winning team in women’s soccer from the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
There will also be three builders inducted. They are judo coach Hiroshi Nakamura of LaSalle, Quebec, sports writer Randy Starkman of Toronto, Ontario and Jack Poole of Mortlach, Saskatchewan, who was the head of the Vancouver Olympic bid committee for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Both Poole and Starkman have since passed away.
