Susan Holloway (born May 19, 1955) is 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 ...

retired cross-country skier and sprint canoeist. In 1976, Holloway became the first woman and first Canadian to compete in both the Summer and Winter

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

in the same year, competing in cross-country skiing at the winter games in Innsbruck and in canoe sprint at the summer games in Montreal.

Life and career

Susan Holloway was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her family moved to

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

when she was 3. She graduated from Brookfield High School in 1973. She later attended

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...

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 ...

where she competed in their swim team and earned a

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

degree in 1983. 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 ...

at the 1976 Winter Games in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

, she finished 32nd in the 10 km and seventh in the 4 × 5 km relay. Holloway was selected as Canada's flag bearer for the Opening Ceremonies of the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. However, Canada's

boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...

of those games denied her the opportunity to participate in the Parade of Nations. Holloway won two medals in canoe sprint 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 ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

with a silver in the K-2 500 m and a bronze in the K-4 500 m events.

Awards and honours

Holloway was inducted into the

Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame The Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame is an honour roll of the top Canadian Olympic athletes, teams, coaches, and builders (officials, administrators, and volunteers). It was established in 1949. Selections are made by a committee appointed by the Canad ...

in 1986. In 1988, the Sue Holloway Fitness Park was built at

Mooney's Bay Park Mooney's Bay Park is a public park in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on the Rideau River. Its main entrance is on Riverside Drive, opposite Ridgewood Avenue, but can also be accessed from Hog's Back Road. Mooney's Bay Park has a beach, picnic areas, ...

in Ottawa. The park was demolished in 2018 and relocated in 2019.

Personal life

In 2002, Holloway married Canadian Olympic high jumper

Greg Joy Gregory Andrew Joy (born April 23, 1956) is an American-born Canadian high jumper who stood 6' 4" tall and weighed 157 lbs while competing from 1973 to 1982 for Canada. Biography Born in the U.S. to Canadian parents, Joy lived in Vancouver, Brit ...

. They have two daughters.

Cross-country skiing results

Olympic Games

References

External links

Collections Canada image 1
1955 births Canadian female canoeists Canadian female cross-country skiers Canadian people of Irish descent Canoeists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Cross-country skiers at the 1976 Winter Olympics Living people Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic canoeists of Canada Olympic cross-country skiers of Canada Olympic bronze medalists for Canada Olympic medalists in canoeing Olympic silver medalists for Canada Sportspeople from Halifax, Nova Scotia Sportspeople from Ottawa Simon Fraser University alumni 20th-century Canadian women {{Canada-crosscountry-skiing-bio-stub