She represented Canada at the 2008 Paralympic Games, where she won a bronze medal. by Probably Canada's most famous Paralympic athlete, he's won three golds, two silvers and one bronze between 1980 and 1984. Andr the Giant also became a Hollywood actor, debuting as Sasquatch (Bigfoot) in 1976 in a two-part episode aired on the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man. 4 Biathlon. He won a Grey Cup, a Memorial Cup, two Stanley Cups and even a baseball championship in the International League. Though Browning never won an Olympic medal, he is one of the most successful and popular Canadian figure skaters of all time. The list features athletes from a wide variety of sports and eras. Hockey has proven that Canada has its fair share of fighters, but not too many of us make a splash in the world of boxing. Oendrila De Similarly to Wiggins, Connor McDavid is a young superstar taking his sport by storm. Andre De Grasse is a Canadian track and field athlete best known for winning the gold medal in the men's 200 metres event at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Mike Weir was one of the first Canadians to achieve success at the highest level in golf. In the unpredictable world of bobsleigh, Humphries - the top driver in the world - was looking for every little edge to be the best. Harold Ballard was made an inductee of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1977 and 1987 respectively. Georges St Pierre may not be as well known as some of the other athletes on this list, but among combat sports fans, hes a legend. He is regarded as one of the worlds finest brakesmen. Take a trip to Montreal with this audiowalk to learn about the citys history. When they were six, their whole community was up and moved to Inuvik. She joined the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) athlete committee in 2005 and in 2012 was appointed to their executive committee. Obviously the diamond took a back seat to the ice as she went on to the most prolific career in women's hockey. Jamaican-born Canadian bobsledder Lascelles Brown is an Olympic silver medalist and a former World Champion. She'll look to win her first LPGA major since 2016 in April. In honor of Canada Day, here are the 25 greatest Canadians of all time: 26. An MFC middleweight champion, he has also won 3 UFC titles. Known for his mix of speed, power, skill, and grit. She ran the anchor leg for Jane Bell, Ethel Smith and Myrtle Cook as Canada won gold in the inaugural 4x100-metre relay. His professional athletics career began at the age of 16, winning a Ligue 1 title, Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year, and the Golden Boy award. By the 1960s, his idea of a bicultural Canada had made its way to Parliament, where it was promoted by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Right IconThis ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet. Canada's national women's soccer team, on the other hand, is one of the best in the world and are currently ranked fourth. In the 1920s, she helped found the Provincial Franchise Committee for Womens Suffrage and began fighting for the right for women to vote provincially in Qubec a battle that would last more than two decades before victory was achieved. Perhaps no other name in the history of French sports is more popular today than Lacoste. Henri Bourassa, born in 1868 in Montral, had a significant impact on Canadian politics through his nationalist position, which still resonates today. Gold at home in Vancouver 2010 and a repeat four years later in Russia. Gretzky holds the title of The Great One due to his undeniable skill in the game, but why is it then that Gordie Howe holds the title of Mr.Hockey? 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. 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). After 1867, Cartier played a key role in bringing Manitoba and British Columbia into Confederation, secured the repatriation of Ruperts Land, and pushed for the building of the transcontinental railway. In fact, his plan for Canadian independence from the British Parliament became reality in 1931, with the signing of the Statute of Westminster. Honourable mentions: Marnie McBean and Kathleen Heddle. Whether it was her dominant gold medal victory in the giant slalom at the 1968 Grenoble Olympics (she won by a whopping 2.68 seconds!) 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. He also won the 4x100m relay at the 2018 NACAC Championships. He is also the program assistant of Canadas History Society. Access KelownaNow using your Facebook account, or by entering your information below. Joseph Guillemot could be considered an anomaly in sports history. Similarly to Andre De Grasse, Penny Oleksiak used the 2016 Summer Olympics as a means to catapult herself to the forefront of her sport. The 167 goals puts her second all-time in international goals scored, behind American Abby Wambach. In 2019, she already has two top-10 finishes under her belt and in 2018 she became the first Canadian woman to win the Canadian Women's Open in 45 years. 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. Former Edmonton Grads basketball team members (left to right) Edith Stone Sutton (1930-34), Margaret MacBurney . He spent five years inside the top 10 of the World Golf Rankings, sandwiched around his historic Masters win in 2003. Kurt Browning. 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. As one of the worlds best decathletes, London, Ontarios Damian Warner is deserving of a spot on this list of the best Canadian athletes. In 2022, Andre De Grasse won a gold medal at the World Championships. At 7 feet and 4 inches tall, which was a result of acromegaly, Andr Ren Roussimoff was better known by his fitting ring name Andr the Giant., Roussimoff started his wrestling career in 1966, relocating to North America five years later and consequently becoming a mainstay of World Wrestling Federation (then called World Wide Wrestling Federation or WWWF), where he easily became a fan favorite. Marcheline Bertrand, actress of half French-Canadian ancestry, mother of actress Angelina Jolie. The project was supported by the Governor General Lord Durham but was rejected by London. 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. This is all thanks to his world-famous eponymous polo shirt brand with the crocodile logo. Their homecoming to Toronto was nuts. Lemieux is narrowly behind Gretzky for the highest all-time points per game in the NHL and the two Canadians are a half point higher than anyone else on the list. Nash retired with the highest free throw percentage in NBA history at 90.42%. No surprise she was voted the top female Canadian athlete of the 20th century. She's a major reason why the team won back-to-back bronze medals in the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. 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. Canada's female athlete of the century famous (sharing the century honours with Wayne Gretzky). The Jamaican born, Canadian sprinter won gold in the 100m setting a new world record of 9.84 seconds in the process. A member of the Canada's Sports Hall of Fame and Companion of the Order of Canada, she was appointed to the Senate in March 2016. As a cyclist, Hughes competed at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta where she raced to bronze in both the road race and time trial. Not only does Clara Hughes have six Olympic medals to her name, shes one of two athletes since Second World War to win medals in both the Summer and Winter Games. Despite the poor showing of Canadian teams during this past hockey season, right now is a pretty exciting time for Canadian athletes. Her six career medals ties her with speed skating teammate Cindy Klassen as Canada's most-decorated Olympian. In 1942, she ran for federal election as a Liberal and lost. She also set Canadian womens records in the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly. Gordie Howe 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 They set off the following spring, reaching le de Montral and founding Ville-Marie. Being the best at one sport is quite an accomplishment, but being the best at two sports is phenomenal. Mark McKoy is a three-time Commonwealth champion, having won gold medals at the 1982 and 1986 Commonwealth Games. She was part of the first Canadian women's track and field team to compete internationally. Wayne Gretzky Hometown: Brantford, Ontario. An advocate for Indigenous issues, Chalmers has made efforts to connect with and inspire . He gave up his lucrative running career in 1916 to enlist in the Canadian Armed Forces where his endurance was invaluable as a dispatch carrier in France; he was wounded twice and declared dead once. What comes to mind when you think of Canada and sports? updated December 20, 2017, 7:59 pm, by Milos Raonic and Denis Shapovalov showed the world that Canadians can play tennis as well as the rest of them. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages. She was 15 when she began training in hurdles. 1 Georges St-Pierre (One of the Greatest Fighters in the History of Mixed Martial Arts) 37 21 Listed In: Sportspersons Birthdate: May 19, 1981 Sun Sign: Taurus Height: 5'10" (178 cm) 2 Glenn Ford (One of the Most Prominent Actors During Hollywood's Golden Age) 70 12 Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities Birthdate: May 1, 1916 Sun Sign: Taurus A true family affair. She followed those medals up with four medals over the span of three Winter Games in speedskating. As a professional tennis player, she is currently ranked no. Klassen also won a bronze medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, tying her with Clara Hughes for the Canadian record of six total medals at the Olympics. She finished third in combined pursuit at those Salt Lake City Olympics, only to be upgraded to the Olympic gold after two Russians were caught doping. High Jumper Derek Drouin takes the 6th spot on our list of The Top 10 Canadian Athletes. Better known as GSP, Georges helped to turn the UFC and mixed martial arts mainstream. Football superstar Kylian Mbapp is a forward for the France national team and Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain. You probably don't know these names, but you should. From 1972 to 1984, Shirley and Sharon Firth went to four consecutive Winter Olympics, shaped the sport of cross-country skiing in the north and ignited a conversation around indigenous culture.