The number of U of T alumni who have swum, ice-skated, bobsledded – you name it, they’ve done it – at the Olympics or Paralympics is astounding: the number has surpassed 400.
The very first U of T Olympian was George Orton (BA 1893 UC). At the Paris games in 1900, he nabbed first place in men’s 2500-metre steeplechase and third in men’s 400-metre hurdles.
The latest medallist, hockey player Jayna Hefford (BPHE 2004), took home gold from Sochi in 2014. (She also holds three other golds and a silver from previous Olympics.)
Grads have also triumphed at the Paralympics: For example, Joanne Bouw Berdan (BSc Pharm 1986) holds a whopping 10 medals – eight of them gold – in discus, shotput, javelin and long jump.
Final tally of medals? 86 (34 gold) from the Olympics, and 26 (12 gold) from the Paralympics.
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