Elaine Tanner
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Elaine Tanner-Watt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname | "Mighty Mouse" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National team | Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Vancouver, British Columbia | February 22, 1951||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 61 kg (134 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Strokes | Backstroke, butterfly, freestyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Pacific Dolphins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Elaine Tanner-Watt, OC (born February 22, 1951) is a Canadian former competition swimmer. Olympic medallist, and former world record-holder in two events.
Career
Nicknamed "Mighty Mouse"[1] partly because of her small stature (standing barely five feet tall) and partly due to her competitive drive, Tanner had a large impact on Canadian swimming and is considered one of the top performers in the sport.[2]
During the
Despite being of Canadian nationality she also won the
Awards and accolades
In 1969, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1971.[4] The Elaine Tanner Award has been presented to Canada's top junior female athlete since 1972.[7]
Personal life
Following the games, Tanner fell into a depression that lasted decades, developed a serious eating disorder, suffered anxiety attacks and had her first marriage end after 9 years in 1980, with two children that wound up going to the custody of the father in Prince George as Tanner remained in Vancouver. Roaming around Canada doing odd jobs and eventually having a failed second marriage that ended in 1987,[8] by 1988 she was living off her car, jobless, and feeling suicidal, but eventually found her footing again after meeting former lifeguard John Watt. She married him five years later,[9] and lives with him in White Rock, British Columbia. They have a charity organization, Team Underdog.[2]
Bibliography
- Monkey Guy And The Cosmic Fairy (2015) - children's book
- Quest Beyond Gold (TBD) - autobiography
See also
- List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
- List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
- World record progression 100 metres backstroke
- World record progression 200 metres backstroke
References
- ^ "If dancing in parks were an Olympic event..." The Globe and Mail. September 16, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- ^ a b "Promise after a painful past". The Province. May 28, 2008. Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- ^ "Elaine Tanner profile at famouscanadianwomen.com". Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- ^ a b "Canada Sports Hall of Fame Profile". Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- ^ a b c "B.C.'s all-time sporting greats". The Vancouver Sun. November 18, 2008. Archived from the original on August 4, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- ^ "FROM A SWIMMING CORRESPONDENT. "Miss Long Sets Free-Style Records." Times, 14 Aug. 1965, p. 4". The Times. 14 August 1965. p. 4.
- ^ "Elaine Tanner's life has come full circle". Oakville Beaver. March 28, 2009. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- ^ Christie, James, "Olympic Pressure Takes Personal Toll: Loser Label Sticks 24 Years." The Globe and Mail, 23 July 1992
- ^ Elaine Tanner: one athlete's 40-year recovery from Olympic heartbreak