Silken Laumann

Silken Laumann is a Canadian champion rower, born on Nov 14, 1964 in Mississauga, Ontario.

Related Topics:
Canadian - Nov 14 - 1964 - Mississauga, Ontario

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Starting in 1976, Silken won a number of awards, including a gold medal in quadruple sculls at the U.S. Championships, two gold medals in single sculls at the Pan American Games, a bronze medal at the 1984 Olympics in the double sculls with her sister Daniele. Silken also won a silver medal in single sculls at the 1990 World Championships, and the gold medal at the following year's World Championships.

Related Topics:
1976 - Pan American Games - 1984 Olympics - 1990 World Championships

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Arguably the most famous incident in Silken's life was during her training leading up to the 1992 Summer Olympics. One of the odds-on favorites to capture a gold medal, her shell was involved in a collision with the boat of German double sculls team Colin van Eeten and Peter Holstein on May 15, 1992. Despite horrendous injuries to her leg (in her words, "I looked at the leg for a few seconds and knew it was serious when my muscle was hanging at my ankle and I could see the bone"), five operations and a total stay in the hospital of approximately three weeks, Silken was back on the water training by late June. Her efforts paid off with a bronze medal, and she was subsequently name Canadian of the Year by the Canadian Club in recognition.

Related Topics:
1992 Summer Olympics - May 15 - 1992

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After a one-year absence to allow the injury to further heal, Silken resumed competing in 1994, and picked a silver at the 1995 World Championship. She also won a gold medal as part of a quad sculls team at the 1995 Pan American Games, but was subsequently stripped of the medals after testing positive for pseudoephedrine (which she accidentally injested due to a mix-up in what cold medicine she could safely use). Her final competitive race was at the 1996 Summer Olympics, where Silken won a silver medal in single sculls. She formally announced her retirement three years later.

Related Topics:
1994 - 1995 World Championship - 1995 Pan American Games - 1996 Summer Olympics

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Silken was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.

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