Marnie McBean

Obstacles & Opportunities

Marnie McBean is a rowing champion, and one of Canada’s most decorated Olympians! She competed in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, and 1996 in Atlanta, and brought home three gold medals and one bronze from those two Games. A back injury forced her to withdraw from competition at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

After her rowing career, Marnie continued in the sport as a mentor, and she is the Chef de Mission for the upcoming 2020ne Olympic Games in Tokyo!

Marnie was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1994 and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1997. She is a recipient of the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal (1995), appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, and has been given the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2002, she was presented the Thomas Keller Medal by World Rowing.

Marnie earned her degree in kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario and has been given three honorary doctorates. She is a public speaker, and wrote a book titled The Power of More. She currently lives in Toronto with her wife, Deanah and daughter, Isabel.

Marnie has a fascinating story, an incredible athletic career, and a contagious sense of humour. She was so open and honest, and shared beautiful memories of her rowing partner, the late Kathleen Heddle (1965 – 2021). Rest in power, Kathleen.

http://marniemcbean.ca/