Marnie Elizabeth McBean, (born January 28, 1968) 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 ...

former

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is ...

. She is a three-time Olympics gold medallist.

Rowing career

A graduate of the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...

, McBean competed at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

in the coxless pairs and eights events, winning gold medals in both. At 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, ...

she competed in the double and quadruple sculls, winning gold in the double and bronze in the quadruple. With her long-time rowing partner

Kathleen Heddle Kathleen Joan Heddle, (November 27, 1965January 11, 2021) was a Canadian Olympic rower. She and her long-time rowing partner Marnie McBean were the first Canadians to be awarded three Olympic gold medals at the Summer Games. They also won a s ...

, she was the first Canadians to win three Olympic Gold medals. In addition to her other exploits, McBean won a Silver medal in the prestigious single scull event at the 1993

World Rowing Championships The World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA (the International Rowing Federation). It is a week-long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the ...

. At the

2000 Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

, McBean was set to represent Canada in the single scull and she had hoped to win a fourth gold medal. After travelling to Australia, a back injury which eventually required an operation forced McBean to withdraw from the Olympics and McBean decided to retire from international competition.

Accolades and personal life

In 1997, McBean was inducted into the

Canadian 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 Canada, ...

. In 2002, McBean was awarded the

Thomas Keller Medal The Thomas Keller Medal is given by the World Rowing Federation (FISA) for an outstanding international career in the sport of rowing. It is the highest honor in rowing and is awarded to any athlete within five years of his/her retirement from the ...

FISA The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 ("FISA" , ) is a United States federal law that establishes procedures for the physical and electronic surveillance and the collection of "foreign intelligence information" between "foreign pow ...

, the International Rowing Federation, for her outstanding career in international rowing. In 1997, she was awarded the

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: *Meritorious Civilian Service Award *Meritorious Service Med ...

(civil division). In 2013, she was made an Officer 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 ...

. She has been appointed as ''

chef de mission In diplomatic usage, head of mission (HOM) or chief of mission (COM) from the French "chef de mission diplomatique" (CMD) is the head of a diplomatic representation, such as an ambassador, high commissioner, nuncio, chargé d'affaires, permanent ...

'' of Canada's team at the 2020 Olympic Games, to be held in Tokyo. After retiring from active competition, McBean began coming out as

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

in her personal life. She met her partner Deanah Shelly in 2010, and the couple married in April 2014. They have a daughter named Isabel. In 2015, McBean was presented the Bonham Centre Award from The Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, University of Toronto, for her contributions to the advancement and education of issues around sexual identification.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McBean, Marnie 1968 births Living people Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Canadian female rowers Canadian people of Scottish descent Officers of the Order of Canada Olympic bronze medalists for Canada Olympic gold medalists for Canada Olympic rowers of Canada Rowers from Vancouver Recipients of the Meritorious Service Decoration Rowers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1996 Summer Olympics University of Western Ontario alumni Olympic medalists in rowing Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics LGBT sportspeople from Canada Lesbian sportswomen Pan American Games gold medalists for Canada Pan American Games medalists in rowing Thomas Keller Medal recipients Rowers at the 1999 Pan American Games LGBT rowers Medalists at the 1999 Pan American Games