A former track athlete from Walkerton, Ontario, Laryssa Biesenthal took up rowing for the first time when she entered UBC in 1990 and went on to an international competitive career in which she won a total of eight medals in World Championships, Olympics and Pan American Games.
She attended her first World Championship in 1995, where alongside co-UBC Sports Hall of Fame member, Kathleen Heddle, Marnie McBean and Diane O’Grady, she won a silver medal in the Quadruple Sculls event. The same foursome won bronze medals at the 1996 Olympics.Â
Following the 1996 Games Laryssa joined the women’s Eights crew and won a silver medal at the 1997 World Championships and a bronze at the 1998 edition, along with a silver in the Coxless Fours. She won her final World Championships medal, a bronze in the Eight event in 1999. She rounded out her career in an equally impressive manner, winning a gold medal in Double Sculls at the 1999 Pan American Games with Jennifer Browett, and a second Olympic medal, a bronze in the Eights at the 2000 Games in Sydney.Â
She later went on to a high level coaching career at the Australian Institute of Sport and with Canada’s national team program.Â
International Career Medals:
- Silver medalist – 1995 World Championships (quad sculls)
- Bronze medalist – 1996 Olympic Games (quad sculls)
- Silver medalist – 1997 World Championships (eight)
- Bronze medalist – 1998 World Championships (eight)
- Silver medalist – 1998 World Championships (coxless four)
- Bronze medalist – 1999 World Championships (eight)
- Gold medalist – 1999 Pan American Games (double sculls)
- Bronze medalist – 2000 Olympic Games (eight)
