Lise Meloche was born in Ottawa in 1960 and began her athletic career in

alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether for ...

and

sprint kayak Sprint kayak is a sport held on calm water (lakes, flatwater streams, etc. with little waves). The paddler is seated, facing forward, and uses a double-bladed paddle pulling the blade through the water on alternate sides to propel the boat forward ...

ing. She won the junior national championships K2 in 1979. Soon after she became more active in

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

and competed for Canada in 1983. In 1984 Meloche transferred to

biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not tim ...

and rapidly dominated women's biathlon, not only in North America but on the world scene for nearly eight years. Meloche was the first Canadian to win a world cup gold medal in biathlon. Meloche was one of the pioneers of women's biathlon. In a career on the national team that spanned from 1983 to 1995, Meloche competed in over 200 World Cups and two Olympics (1992 and 1994). She won four World Cup

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

s, and medaled in seven events. She was overall third in the world in 1986. Her best placing at an Olympics was 17th in

Lillehammer Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the municip ...

. In 2022, Lise won two Gold and two silver medals at the World Masters Cross Country Skiing Championships. Lise Meloche is a

kinesiologist Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, biomechanical, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kinesiology to human health i ...

and educator, and co-wrote the national cross-country skiing manual and coaching certification. She has published multiple books and videos on physical and mental conditioning and skills training. Meloche continues to complete in skiing, trail running, and snowshoeing, and coaches the largest multi-sport program in Canada (Natural Fitness Lab) with her husband, himself a national champion.

References

* Who's Who in Canadian Sport, Volume 3 1999 by Bob Ferguson . 1960 births Living people Canadian female biathletes Canadian female sport shooters Skiers from Ottawa Sportspeople from Quebec French Quebecers Olympic biathletes of Canada Biathletes at the 1992 Winter Olympics Biathletes at the 1994 Winter Olympics {{Canada-biathlon-bio-stub