- Elaine Tanner
Elaine Tanner-Watt (born
February 22 ,1951 inVancouver ,British Columbia ) is a retired Canadian swimmer.Nickname d "Mighty Mouse" partly because of her small stature (standing barely five feet tall) and partly due to her competitive drive, Elaine Tanner made one of the biggest impacts in the water of any Canadian swimmer ever.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. She was named Canada’s best athlete in 1966 — the youngest person to ever receive the award — and was also selected this country’s top athlete overall.The following year at the
Pan American Games , Tanner won two gold and three silver medals inWinnipeg , breaking two world records in the process.Tanner arrived at the
1968 Summer Olympics as a heavy medal favorite. She earned three times in Mexico City, winning two individual silver medals and one relay bronze.Tanner retired from competition after the 1968 Olympics at just 18 years of age, and was inducted into
Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1971.The Elaine Tanner Award has been presented to Canada’s top junior female athlete since 1972.
In 1969, she was made an Officer of the
Order of Canada .She has her own personal web page under http://www.elainetanner.ca
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