Lesley Thompson
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women’s rowing | ||
Competitor for  Canada |
||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Gold | 1992 Barcelona | Eights |
| Silver | 1984 Los Angeles | Coxed fours |
| Silver | 1996 Atlanta | Eights |
| Bronze | 2000 Sydney | Eights |
Lesley Allison Thompson-Willie (born September 20, 1959 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian rowing coxswain and Olympic champion. She has competed at six different Olympics, from 1984 to 2008, winning medals in four of them including gold in coxed eight at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.[1][2] She is also twice World Champion in coxed eight.
[edit] Career
At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles Thompson competed in the Women's Coxed Four event; the Canadian team won a silver medal behind gold winner Romania. At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul the Canadian team qualified for the B final in coxed four, and placed 7th.[2] At the 1991 World Championships in Austria she won a gold medal in coxed eight with the Canadian team. Next year, at the 1992 World Championships in Barcelona she again won a gold medal in coxed eight.[3] At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona she competed in coxed eight, winning a gold medal for Canada. In 1996 in Atlanta she won a silver medal in coxed eight.[2] At the 1998 World Championships in France she placed second in coxed eight.[3] At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney she won a bronze medal in coxed eight. At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, she coxed the Canadian eight boat that finished in fourth.[2]
She is one of only four people in the sport to compete at six Olympic Games, the others being Romanian Elisabeta Oleniuc Lipă, Estonian Jüri Jaanson, and Australian James Tomkins.
A former track athlete, she also competed in gymnastics until 1983. She lives in Toronto and is affiliated with the London RC Club.[3] She was elected to the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1994.
Her appearance at the 2008 Olympics, when her team lost out on a medal by 0.79 seconds, began back in 2005 when she made a joke to rowing coach Al Morrow[4] about going to Beijing. When he replied, "Really?", she began training.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Lesley Thompson". databaseOlympics.com. http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=THOMPLES01. Retrieved 19 January 2008).
- ^ a b c d "Lesley Thompson". Sports-reference.com. http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/th/lesley-thompson-1.html. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
- ^ a b c "Biography. Thompson-Willie Lesley". World Rowing Database. http://www.rowingone.com/n_bio_rower.fwx?no_id=10935. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
- ^ "Honoured members – Al Morrow". Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. http://www.sportshall.ca/accessible/hm_profile.php?i=485. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
- ^ "Cox one of the big buoys of rowing". Canada.com. 8 August 2008. http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=efdd30e7-d411-4ec5-8236-108cceed02b0. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
- 1959 births
- Living people
- Canadian rowers
- Olympic rowers of Canada
- Olympic gold medalists for Canada
- Olympic silver medalists for Canada
- Olympic bronze medalists for Canada
- Rowers at the 1984 Summer Olympics
- Rowers at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- Rowers at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Rowers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Rowers at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Rowers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Canadian sportswomen
- Sportspeople from Toronto
- Olympic medalists in rowing
- Female rowers
