Linda Mary Alice Thom, , née Malcolm, (born December 30, 1943) is a Canadian Olympic gold medal-winning

shooter Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or blowpipe). Even the acts of launching flame, artillery, darts, harpoons, grenades, rockets, and guided missiles can ...

. Born in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

, she received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1967 from

Carleton University Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning Wo ...

. At the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...

, she won a gold medal in the women's 25 m Pistol event becoming the first Canadian woman to win a gold medal in the summer Olympics since 1928 and the first Canadian to win a gold medal in the summer Olympics since 1968. She was selected to carry Canada's flag at the closing ceremonies. In the

1995 Ontario general election The 1995 Ontario general election was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada. The writs for the election were dropped on April 28, 1995. The governing New Democratic Party, led ...

, she ran as a Progressive Conservative against

Dalton McGuinty Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a former Canadian politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nea ...

for the riding of

Ottawa South Ottawa South (french: Ottawa-Sud) is a federal electoral district in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is represented in the House of Commons of Canada by David McGuinty, brother of former Premier of Ontario and Ottawa South MPP Dalton McGuinty ...

but was defeated. In 1985, she was made a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

. In 1984, she was awarded the

Velma Springstead Trophy The Velma Springstead Trophy is an award presented annually to Canada's outstanding female athlete. It is named in honour of track athlete Velma Springstead whose career ended prematurely when she died from pneumonia in 1927 when only 20 years old ...

, an award presented annually to Canada's outstanding female athlete, and was named female amateur athlete of the year by the Sports Federation of Canada. In 1986, she was inducted into the City of Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame. In 1992, she was inducted into

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canad ...

. She was in the first induction of the

Lisgar Collegiate Institute Lisgar Collegiate Institute is an Ottawa-Carleton District School Board secondary school in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The school is located in downtown Ottawa by the Rideau Canal. History In 1843, a grammar school with 40 paying students ...

Athletic Wall of Fame, as part of the 160th Anniversary celebrations.Alere Flammam, Lisgar Alumni Association Newsletter, Fall 2004 She is currently a sitting member of the Canadian Firearms Advisory Committee.

References

External links

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CBC Radio archive clip
1943 births Living people Shooters at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic shooters of Canada Olympic gold medalists for Canada Canadian female sport shooters Canadian people of Swedish descent ISSF pistol shooters Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario candidates in Ontario provincial elections Carleton University alumni Sportspeople from Hamilton, Ontario Members of the Order of Canada Sportspeople from Ottawa Women in Ontario politics Olympic medalists in shooting Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Pan American Games medalists in shooting Canadian sportsperson-politicians Pan American Games silver medalists for Canada Pan American Games bronze medalists for Canada Lisgar Collegiate Institute Shooters at the 1983 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1983 Pan American Games 20th-century Canadian women {{Canada-sportshooting-bio-stub