Many young Canadian athletes took part in the Games, giving experienced athletes a run for their money. Although Canada did not win any gold medals, it did finish with a total of 11 medals, and several athletes came very close to the podium, placing fourth.
Anne Jardin
This 16-year-old Montreal swimmer became one of Canada’s most successful athletes: she won two bronze medals, one in the 4 x 100 metre medley relay and one in the 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay.
Robin Corsiglia
This swimmer became Canada’s youngest-ever Olympic medallist when she was only 13 years old! Moreover, she will never lose this title because the age limit was raised to 14 shortly after the 1976 Games. She later won gold at the 1978 Commonwealth Games.
Cindy Shatto
This talented Ontarian diver had won almost every competition she had entered since the age of eight. At the Olympics, she was 19 years old. She made it to second place in her event, but then missed one of her dives. She ended up finishing fifth, after a controversial scoring decision by the judges.
Gordon Singleton
Born in Niagara Falls, 19-year-old Gordon was a track cyclist. Although he did not win a medal, he went on to become one of the best sprinters in the world. He made history by becoming the first Canadian cyclist to win a world championship.
Unluckily for many of these athletes, Canada boycotted the 1980 Moscow Games for political reasons. For the 1984 Games, their age meant most of them could not reach the same level of performance as eight years earlier in 1976.
The next generation!
