Joanne Malar
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Joanne Malar (born October 30, 1975 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a former medley swimmer from Canada, who competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1992. Canadian Olympic swimmer Swimming was important to her and her family, because her family camped often. She has two sisters and a brother, and speaks French. She attended McMaster University and St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School. She is also married to Delano Ducheck
Malar’s first pool experience was when she was five weeks old. She started racing at five. At ten, she set her first provincial record. Two years later, Malar went to her first national swim meet, this was the 1988 Olympic Trials. Besides being a talented swimmer, she was a gifted basketball player. In grade nine, she chose swimming over basketball as her preferred sport.
When Malar began her swimming career, she impressed many people with her unexpected start. She was winning medals right away. One of these instances was at the 1991 Pan American Games, where she won two silvers and a bronze. Another instance was at the 1994 LC World Championships where she came in fourth for the 400m Individual Medley. In 1995, she won four golds and a bronze.
During Malar’s swimming career, she had two really successful years: 1995 and 1999. In 1995, at the 1995 FINA Short Course World Championships, she won two gold medals. That same year at the 1995 Pan American Games, she was the proud recipient of a bronze and two gold medals, because she had developed a new swimming style.
In 1999, at the 1999 FINA Short Course World Championships, Malar achieved silver and bronze. At the 1999 Pan American Games and 1999 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, she was awarded two gold medals each time.
The major setback that caused Malar to retire was at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Her career was disturbed by Ireland's Michelle Smith, who walked away with three gold medals.
In 1993, Smith was ranked 90th in the world in the 400 individual medley. However, after she trained with her husband, Erik de Bruin, who used to be a Dutch discus thrower, Smith’s best in the 200m backstroke became 17th in the world by the next year.
Then at the 2000 Summer Olympics Malar thought she could win, but the shock and anger prohibited and she won no medals. After that she retired.
Three years later in May 2003, Malar revealed that she is coming out of retirement to resume her career as a swimmer. Canadians everywhere were shocked that she would want to continue her career only to disappoint herself once again. However she has already proved to Canadians that she believes that she can achieve her goal. At the 2003 Pan American Games she won one gold and came in fourth twice. Malar failed to qualify for the 2004 Olympics.
Malar retired from her swimming career with 71 international medals, 29 national titles, and 4 records and works as a news reporter in her hometown of Hamilton for CH TV 11 and is also a Holistic Nutritionalist (RHN) for La Sante Life at the Regent Health Centre on 150 Locke street in Hamilton.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Swimming Results. Retrieved on 2007-08-04.
- ^ BBC Sport Commonwealth Games 2002 Statistics. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
