Janice Birch (née Bremner) (born July 15, 1974) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

competitor and Olympic medalist in synchronized swimming.

Career

Birch began synchronized swimming in the late 1980s, but was most successful in the 1990s. Birch competed with the Canadian Synchronized Swimming Team, where they won a Silver Medal in 1994, at the

World Aquatics Championships The FINA World Championships or World Aquatics Championships are the World Championships for aquatics sports: swimming, diving, high diving, open water swimming, artistic swimming, and water polo. They are run by FINA, and all swimming events ...

, and again at the 1995 Pan American Games. In the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Birch and team members Christine Larsen, Sylvie Fréchette, and

Valérie Hould-Marchand Valérie Hould-Marchand (born May 29, 1980 in Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec, Canada) is a retired Canadian synchronized swimmer and Olympic medalist. Career Hould-Marchand was a member of the Canadian team that received a silver medal in th ...

, won another Silver Medal. Soon after the 1996 Olympic Games, Birch retired from competitive swimming and began studying at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

. Birch helped carry the

Olympic Torch The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. Several months before the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece. This ceremony starts the Olym ...

for the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gret ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Personal life

Birch graduated from

UBC The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top three ...

in 1999, and worked in fitness and health education. She now resides with her family in the Lower Mainland in

and is married with four children.

References

External links

* 1974 births Living people Canadian synchronized swimmers Olympic silver medalists for Canada Olympic synchronized swimmers for Canada Synchronized swimmers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic medalists in synchronized swimming Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Pan American Games medalists in synchronized swimming Synchronized swimmers at the 1995 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for Canada Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games {{Canada-Olympic-medalist-stub