Famous Canadian Athletes

Ben Johnson is a Canadian retired sprinter who was adjudged the world's fastest man during the 1987–88 season after he broke the 60m and 100m indoor world records. He is best known for his performance in the 1984 Olympic Games, where he won two bronze medals. Ben Johnson also won a gold medal at the 1985 World Indoor Championships.

Tom Longboat was an Onondaga athlete who specialized in distance running. Nicknamed the bulldog of Britannia, Longboat also served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force as a soldier during the First World War. In 1996, Tom Longboat was honored posthumously with an induction into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame. 

Donovan Bailey is a retired Jamaican-Canadian sprinter. He once held the world record for the 100 meters and is considered the greatest Canadian sprinter of all time. Noted for his top speed, he became the first Canadian to legally break the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters. In 2004,  he was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.

Stefanie Reid is a track and field para athlete. She represented Canada at the 2008 Paralympic Games, where she won a bronze medal. She then represented Great Britain at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games, winning a silver medal in both the events. Stefanie Reid has also won a gold medal at the 2014 European Championships and 2017 World Championships.

Andre De Grasse is a Canadian track and field athlete best known for winning the gold medal in the men's 200 metres event at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. He has won two silver medals and three bronze medals in two Olympic Games so far. In 2022, Andre De Grasse won a gold medal at the World Championships.

Indigenous Canadian actor Jay Silverheels gained international popularity for playing Tonto, the Native American companion of the protagonist in the American western TV series The Lone Ranger. As a young man, he excelled in athletics and became a lacrosse player. He later quit sports to pursue acting. He bred and raced Standardbred horses as a hobby. 

Olympic silver medalist Canadian long-distance runner Mohammed Ahmed scripted history as Canada’s first medal winner at the 5,000m at both the World Championships and the Olympics. The Somalia-born athlete spent a part of his childhood in Kenya, before moving to Canada at age 11.

Two-time Olympic medalist Canadian sprinter Aaron Brown has also been a World Champion in 2022. Anglo-Jamaican in origin, the sportsperson specializes in 100m and 200m and began his athletic career with the USC Trojans while in college. He also won the 4x100m relay at the 2018 NACAC Championships.

Percy Williams was a Canadian athlete best remembered for winning two gold medals at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. He also won a gold medal at the 1930 British Empire Games in Hamilton. Percy Williams is widely regarded as the greatest Canadian Olympic athlete of all time. 

Canadian athlete Earl Thomson, or Tommy Thomson, scripted history as the first non-American to win a 110m hurdles Olympic gold medal. In his early days, he excelled in high jump and discus throw, too. He later coached the US Naval Academy team and also co-designed a safer hurdle.

A 4-time Olympian and an Olympic gold medalist, retired Canadian track and field athlete Bruny Surin has been a master of the 4×100m relay. He is also a former Commonwealth Champion and a 2-time World Champion. The Haitian-born athlete had moved to Canada as a child. He has been knighted by the Quebec government.

Olympic gold medalist Canadian athlete Fanny Bobbie Rosenfeld earned the nickname Bobbie for the bob cut she sported. Named the Female Athlete of the First Half-Century by Canada, she also excelled in hockey, apart from track and field. Post-retirement, she worked as a sports columnist and coach.

Three-time Olympian Canadian track and field athlete and bobsledder Phylicia George is also an Olympic bronze medalist in the two-woman bobsleigh category. She was 15 when she began training in hurdles. She competed in track and field at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics.

Jamaican-born Canadian bobsledder Lascelles Brown is an Olympic silver medalist and a former World Champion. His illustrious career has seen him compete internationally for Jamaica, Canada, and Monaco. He is regarded as one of the world’s finest brakesmen. He is the first Jamaican-born athlete to win a medal at the Winter Olympics.

Desai Williams was a Canadian sprinter best remembered for winning a bronze medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He also won a gold medal at the 1981 Pacific Conference Games and at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. Desai Williams also worked as a coach and trained Olympic athletes like Phylicia George, Justyn Warner, and Tremaine Harris among others.

Lou Marsh was a Canadian athlete who participated in a wide variety of sports during his playing career. He then established himself as one of the top hockey and boxing referees of his generation. Lou Marsh also worked for the Toronto Star for more than four decades and is often counted among the pioneers of sports journalism in the country.

Phil Edwards was a Guyanese-born Canadian track and field athlete who specialized in middle-distance events. He won a gold medal at the 1934 British Empire Games in London, where he represented British Guiana. Nicknamed the Man of Bronze, Phil Edwards won five bronze medals for Canada at the Olympic Games between 1928 and 1936.

Mark McKoy is a Canadian former track and field athlete. He is best known for winning the gold medal in the 110m hurdles event at the 1992 Olympic Games. He also won a gold medal at the 1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Mark McKoy is a three-time Commonwealth champion, having won gold medals at the 1982 and 1986 Commonwealth Games.

Velma Springstead was a Canadian athlete best remembered for winning a gold medal at the 1925 Canadian Track and Field Championships in Halifax. She was part of the first Canadian women's track and field team to compete internationally. In 2011, Velma Springstead was posthumously elected as a member of the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame.