Lesley Thompson
Encyclopedia
Lesley Allison Thompson-Willie (born September 20, 1959 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian
rowing
coxswain
and Olympic champion. She has competed at six different Olympics, from 1984 to 2008, winning medals in four of them including gold in coxed eight at the 1992 Summer Olympics
in Barcelona
. She is also twice World Champion in coxed eight.
in Los Angeles
Thompson competed in the Women's Coxed Four
event; the Canadian team won a silver medal behind gold winner Romania. At the 1988 Summer Olympics
in Seoul
the Canadian team qualified for the B final in coxed four, and placed 7th. At the 1991 World Championships in Austria she won a gold medal in coxed eight with the Canadian team. Next year, at the 1992 World Championships in Barcelona she again won a gold medal in coxed eight. At the 1992 Summer Olympics
in Barcelona
she competed in coxed eight
, winning a gold medal for Canada. In 1996
in Atlanta she won a silver medal in coxed eight. At the 1998 World Championships in France she placed second in coxed eight. At the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
she won a bronze medal in coxed eight. At the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
, she coxed the Canadian eight boat that finished in fourth.
She is one of only four people in the sport to compete at six Olympic Games, the others being Romanian Elisabeta Oleniuc Lipă, Estonian Jüri Jaanson
, and Australian James Tomkins.
A former track athlete, she also competed in gymnastics until 1983. She lives in Toronto and is affiliated with the London RC Club. She was elected to the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1994.
Her appearance at the 2008 Olympics
, when her team lost out on a medal by 0.79 seconds, began back in 2005 when she made a joke to rowing coach Al Morrow about going to Beijing. When he replied, "Really?", she began training.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
coxswain
Coxswain
The coxswain is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain, which can be rendered as boy, in authority. ...
and Olympic champion. She has competed at six different Olympics, from 1984 to 2008, winning medals in four of them including gold in coxed eight at the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. She is also twice World Champion in coxed eight.
Career
At the 1984 Summer Olympics1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
Thompson competed in the Women's Coxed Four
Rowing at the 1984 Summer Olympics
Rowing at the 1984 Summer Olympics featured 14 events in total, for both men and women.Due to the Eastern Bloc boycott of these Olympics, some of the strongest rowing nations like East Germany, the USSR or Bulgaria were not present...
event; the Canadian team won a silver medal behind gold winner Romania. At the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
the Canadian team qualified for the B final in coxed four, and placed 7th. At the 1991 World Championships in Austria she won a gold medal in coxed eight with the Canadian team. Next year, at the 1992 World Championships in Barcelona she again won a gold medal in coxed eight. At the 1992 Summer Olympics
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
she competed in coxed eight
Rowing at the 1992 Summer Olympics
At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, 14 events in rowing were contested, eight for men and six for women.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-See also:*Rowing at the Summer Olympics*List of Olympic medalists in rowing...
, winning a gold medal for Canada. In 1996
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta she won a silver medal in coxed eight. At the 1998 World Championships in France she placed second in coxed eight. At the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
she won a bronze medal in coxed eight. At the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, she coxed the Canadian eight boat that finished in fourth.
She is one of only four people in the sport to compete at six Olympic Games, the others being Romanian Elisabeta Oleniuc Lipă, Estonian Jüri Jaanson
Jüri Jaanson
Jüri Jaanson is the most successful Estonian rower of all time and the winner of five medals at Rowing World Championships. He became World Champion in Tasmania 1990 in the single sculls event. 14 years later, at age 38 he won an Olympic silver medal in the single sculls event at the 2004 Summer...
, and Australian James Tomkins.
A former track athlete, she also competed in gymnastics until 1983. She lives in Toronto and is affiliated with the London RC Club. She was elected to the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1994.
Her appearance at the 2008 Olympics
Rowing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Women's eight
Women's eight competition at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing was held on August 11 , 13 and 17 , at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park....
, when her team lost out on a medal by 0.79 seconds, began back in 2005 when she made a joke to rowing coach Al Morrow about going to Beijing. When he replied, "Really?", she began training.