A storied history: Vancouver 2010 marks one chapter in UBC's Olympic path
Across UBC varsity athletics decorated history, there are dozens and dozens of athletes that tie our campus to the Olympics. From rowing to skeleton, and everything in between, there are countless remarkable moments and success stories from over 90 years of Olympic Games.
To celebrate the 2010 Olympic anniversary, over the next two weeks on gothunderbirds.ca we are looking back on several of those moments and athletes, from the founders of our Olympic history to iconic Thunderbird Olympic achievements and memories.
THE UNCOMMON MEDAL STORIES
Some athletes have particularly unique stories as to how they won their Olympic medals. The following three athletes fall into that category: a comeback story, a surprise call up and a double-Olympic year (with medals in both).
George Hungerford
It's a comeback story that continues to be a mainstay in Thunderbird Olympic history: George Hungerford's gold medal at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics in pairs rowing — Canada's only gold that year.
In the season leading up to the '64 Olympics, Hungerford was eliminated from the Canadian eights crew following his contraction of mononucleosis. With just weeks until the Olympics, Hungerford switched gears to train and compete in the pairs event with fellow Thunderbird Roger Jackson — a last-minute chance for Canada to have a team in the event that year.
The pair were underdogs considering they had limited training time, a recovery from illness and a new team dynamic to contend with. A medal would have been a major success, let alone gold.
Even so, they did the unthinkable: winning gold over the Dutch team, who were heavy favourites in the event. In doing so, Hungerford and Jackson etched their names into numerous history books, including a Lou Marsh trophy as the Canadian male athletes of the Year in 1964. Hungerford was also named the junior (under 21) athlete of 1964 here in BC.
Hungerford and Jackson would be the last Canadian university or club team to win a medal for Canada too, as the following years would bring the National team concept into fruition.
Jackson's local Olympic influence would come full circle as he played a key role in Vancouver 2010, in 2005 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Own the Podium 2010 and in the same year was also inducted into the UBC Sports Hall of Fame.
Today, Hungerford is an inductee in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, Canadian Amateur Athletic Hall of Fame and BC Sports Hall of Fame. He is also an Order of Canada recipient and has received the Queen's Council Award for his exceptional work in his current field: law.
Sue Holloway
In crossing the canoe/kayak finish line at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games for the K1 and K2 500m events, Sue Holloway became the first woman to compete in both a summer and winter Olympics in the same year.
Just months earlier, Holloway competed for Canada in the Innsbruck Games in both the 10km and the 5km relay in Nordic skiing.
For her 1976 heroics, the UBC cross country runner and swimmer was named flag bearer for the 1980 games — though she wasn't able to fulfill that role, as the Canadian team boycotted the event.
Her Olympic career didn't stop there. Following a move from SFU to UBC in the early '80s, Holloway won two canoe/kayak medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Games: a silver in the K2 500m and a bronze in the K4 500m.
Following her retirement from the national team, Holloway joined the Canadian Olympic Committee and created the Athlete Services Portfolio, where she managed events like the Olympic Gala and Canada Olympic House.
Today, Holloway is an indispensable piece of BC's canoe/kayak culture and is a Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame inductee. In honour of her extraordinary accomplishments, her hometown of Ottawa named the Sue Holloway Fitness Park after her.
One of UBC's most recent Olympic medalists is current Thunderbird swimmer
Emily Overholt. It's a moment the third-year isn't likely to forget anytime soon, as she was a last-minute call up for the 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay at Rio 2016 — her first ever Olympics.
Overholt claimed her bronze medal in unique fashion, as she replaced teammate Brittany MacLean in a preliminary heat.
She also competed in the 400m medley in Rio, finishing fifth.
Her time in Rio is one that catapulted her into Canadian swimming spotlight, but also saw her face her own
mental illness in the aftermath. During training for the Games, Overholt experienced depression — something she faced again following the Olympics, when she was hospitalized.
Now, the kinesiology student is back in the pool. Last year, at the 2019 U SPORTS national championships hosted here at the UBC Aquatic Centre (which both the Thunderbird men's and women's teams won), she had a best time and USports record in the 400-metre freestyle.
She is also getting ready for the Canadian Olympic Swimming Trials in Toronto from March 30 to April 5 — her chance to claim a spot at Tokyo 2020.
At just 22 years old, the West Vancouver resident is a medallist not only at the Olympics, but at the 2015 and 2019 FINA World Championships, the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships, the 2015 Pan American Games and the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
With two more years of U Sports eligibility, Overholt could add more national university records to her long list of accolades too.
Equally as important, she is continuing to
share her story to end the stigma surrounding mental illness.
