Their daughter had big feet, expansive hands, boundless energy and was growing like a weed. [10] First indications of great potential for Oleksiak were identified when, six weeks after fracturing her elbow in a cycle accident, she was still able to win six medals at the 2015 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships. Jake played NCAA hockey with the University at Buffalo whil… [11] Before the Olympics, Oleksiak had risen to 49th in the 100-metre freestyle rankings and 37th in the 100-metre butterfly, and the Canadian Tire analysts appointed her to possibly win a medal in Rio. Jake played NCAA hockey with the University at Buffalo while Jamie won a bronze medal with Team Canada at the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship in Edmonton and Calgary and then went on to join the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League as a defenceman. [14] Canada also finished third in the 4 × 100-metre freestyle relay, but wound up disqualified. [10], In December 2016 Oleksiak participated in the short course world championships in the Canadian city of Windsor. This included a gold in the mixed 4 × 100 m freestyle relay; silver in her signature 100 m freestyle event; silver in the 50 and 100 m butterfly; a silver in the 4 × 200 m relay and a bronze in the 4 × 100 m freestyle events. She has four siblings: Jamie, Hayley, stepbrother Jake and stepsister Claire. [46] In the Autumn of 2019 Oleksiak was member of the inaugural International Swimming League swimming for the Energy Standard Swim Club, who won the team title in Las Vegas, Nevada, in December. “Every time she swam she got faster. In the heats of the 100 m butterfly, she broke the national record and world junior record with a time of 56.73 on her way to the semi-finals. [30], Oleksiak's first competition in 2017 was the Arena Pro Swim Series in Mesa, Arizona, held in March. She also set an Ontario age group record in the female 200 m freestyle (2:01.41). [13] In the final day of competition, Oleksiak anchored Canada to another gold, in the 4 × 50-metre freestyle relay, and a silver medal at the 4 × 100-metre medley relay.

Oleksiak won six medals at the 2015 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships. As a 14-year-old at the 2014 Canadian Age Group Championships, Oleksiak won 10 individual medals—five gold, three silver and two bronze—setting a personal best in each and every race, and then tacked on three relay golds. Despite breaking her elbow just over one month before the championships, Oleksiak won six medals, including gold in the mixed 4 x 100 m freestyle relay.

[11] Oleksiak has a dog named Jagr after Jaromír Jágr and a cat named Rio. In January 2017, Oleksiak helped launch the “WE are Canada” program designed to help students “explore Canadian issues, build leadership skills and create an action plan to help them shape the future of Canada and the world.”.

She had also taken up gymnastics and competitive dance. Swimming for Toronto Swim Club, under coach Bill O’Toole, Oleksiak has been racking up the medals. Charlotte Samuels. “[S]he picked up stuff very quickly,” Nolden later told CBC News in 2016. "[21], The next night she competed in the 100 m butterfly final. Penelope "Penny" Oleksiak (born 2000) is a Canadian competition swimmer who specializes in the freestyle and butterfly events. She broke the world junior record of the 100 m freestyle with 52.72, the second fastest time of the qualifying heats, and anchored the 4×200 m freestyle relay, again winning the bronze[23] (along with Katerine Savard, Taylor Ruck, and Brittany MacLean). [25][9] Oleksiak is the youngest Canadian to become an Olympic champion, the first to win four Summer Olympics medals in the same edition, and has the second most medals of the country in a single edition after Cindy Klassen in the 2006 Winter Olympics. [29] Just days before the closing ceremony, Penny quietly returned to her home in Toronto for two days to go to Canada's Wonderland with her friends, before heading back to Rio. 20 Year Olds. Swimmer. Geminis. [8] Titley would begin working with her, sporadically at first, then in monthly and weekly basis. When she told her parents that she enjoyed swimming, they encouraged her to swim competitively. She was also growing quickly. (Titley was part of Great Britain’s Olympic swim team coaching staff for three consecutive Olympic Games from 2004 to 2012.) [16][17] She was also given the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as Canada's female athlete of the year,[18] and was named in the team of the year, anchoring the Canadian women's swim team in Rio and Windsor. She is the current junior world and Canadian record holder in the 100 m freestyle and 100 m butterfly, initially setting the records at the age of 15 while improving them at age 16. [47], Oleksiak is the youngest of five siblings, one of whom is NHL defenceman Jamie Oleksiak,[48] who plays for the Dallas Stars. Oleksiak started out fast, touching the halfway wall in third before finishing characteristically strong in second place, winning the silver medal. Penny was also determined.

Following the junior championships Oleksiak switched coaches from Ben Titley to Bill O'Toole, her original age group coach in the Toronto Swim Club. [43][44] While unsuccessful in the individual races, Oleksiak won three silvers in the relays. Being her first international competition following the Olympics, in front of her own crowd, Oleksiak was the centre of attentions of fans and media. [49] Older sister Hayley is a rower at Northeastern University, and older brother Jake played college hockey. Sister Hayley was a competitive rower at Northeastern University in Boston. By age 12, Oleksiak was training out of the Toronto Swim Club under head coach Bill O’Toole. Richard (who is six feet nine inches or 2.06 m tall) played football and basketball and competed in track and field (athletics) at Nichols School in Buffalo, New York, while Alison was a high-performance swimmer in her native country of Scotland. Penny learned to swim at age 9 in a neighbour’s backyard pool. Ms. Oleksiak's parents, Richard and Alison, were both former NCAA athletes. She won gold in the women’s 100 m freestyle, where she set an Olympic record (tying with American gold medallist Simone Manuel) with a time of 52.70 seconds, becoming the first Olympic gold medallist born in the 2000s. She is the current Junior world record holder in the 100 m freestyle and Canadian record holder for both the 100 m freestyle and 100 m butterfly, setting the records at the age of 15. Oleksiak also set the Canadian and World Junior records in the 100 m butterfly en route to the Olympics in that event. [15], As a result of her performances at the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2016 short course championships Oleksiak was awarded the Lou Marsh Award as Canada's top athlete of the year and was named CBC's athlete of the year as well. In 2016, Oleksiak received the Lou Marsh Trophy (Canada’s athlete of the year) and the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award (Canadian Press female athlete of the year). Canadian born Penny Oleksiak starting turning heads when she was just 12.

Looking back at how she began her swimming career at the Toronto Olym…

[4] During the 2016 Summer Olympics, she became the first Canadian to win four medals in the same Summer Games and the country's youngest Olympic champion, with a gold in the 100 m freestyle, a silver in the 100 m butterfly, and two bronzes in the women's freestyle relays (4×100 m and 4×200 m). She again bettered her world junior record and Canadian record in the 100 m butterfly in the process. Penny Oleksiak claim to fame: Bronze Medal in 4x100m freestyle relay in Rio 2016 Olympics. When she was 10, she led a bunch of older swimmers in a drill, but slipped and hit the pool deck face-first, breaking a tooth. With her gold medal win, she became the first athlete born in the 2000s to claim an Olympic gold medal in an individual event.[5]. "[7] Within a year, a race by Oleksiak at the University of Toronto drew the attention of coach Ben Titley, who would go on to lead Canada's Olympic team. Oleksiak attempted to join several swim clubs in Toronto, but was rejected having trouble swimming the length of pool. In the 14-year-old category, Oleksiak won five gold medals, one silver medal and two bronze medals. Penelope Oleksiak (born June 13, 2000) is a Canadian-American competitive swimmer who specializes in the freestyle and butterfly events. Swimmer. Short Biography. 20 Year Old Swimmer #1. While Oleksiak failed to make Team Canada for the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, she did compete at the 2015 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Singapore. At the 2014 Canadian Age Group Championships in Winnipeg, Oleksiak was dominant, winning 8 gold medals and 13 medals overall. She was eventually taken in by coach Gary Nolden at the Toronto Olympian Swim Team where she gained the foundation that started her swimming career. One year prior, Oleksiak had won six medals at the 2015 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships. In recognition of her record-breaking performance, Oleksiak was named Canadian flag bearer for the closing ceremonies. Penny Oleksiak is the youngest child of engineer Alison Oleksiak and her husband, writer Richard Oleksiak. She showed up to practice the next day. Penny Oleksiak Fans Also Viewed . In the 100 m freestyle, Oleksiak tied for gold with American Simone Manuel, with both swimmers setting an Olympic record of 52.70 seconds in the final. Every time she showed up at the pool, she was an inch taller,” he told Maclean’s. Michael Andrew.

At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Oleksiak won four medals, setting the Canadian record for most medals won at a single Olympic Summer Games. Swimmer #9. Hindered by injuries, she finished fourth in the 100 m freestyle. Oleksiak's leg time of 1:54.94 was the 4th fastest in the field after the three medalists of the 200 m freestyle. [51], 2015 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women), "Teenage star Oleksiak mows down records at Olympic swimming trials", "Penny Oleksiak leaves former Canadian Olympians 'stunned, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-12/rio-2016-swimmers-who-beat-campbell-sisters-make-olympic-history/7729036, "How 16-year-old Penny Oleksiak, Stars defenseman Jamie's sister, became the latest Olympic star", "Teenager Penny Oleksiak still growing into her swimming potential", "The Amazing Penny Oleksiak: 'I just tried to hold on, "The future of Canadian swimming is in the numbers", "Person of interest: Swimming Canada's best-kept secret, Penny Oleksiak", "Canada's Penny Oleksiak finds success despite distractions at world championships", "Oleksiak anchors Canada to short-course relay gold", "Canada wins gold in 4x50m freestyle relay at short-course worlds", "Canada's women's relay swim team DQ'd for lineup snafu", "Swimmer Penny Oleksiak wins Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's top athlete", "Penny Oleksiak: Canadian athlete of the year", "Penny Oleksiak voted Canadian Press female athlete of year", "Canada's female swimmers win Canadian Press team of the year", "The Young and the Fast: Canada wins relay bronze in Rio", "Canada's Penny Oleksiak wins 2nd medal of Rio Olympics", "Penny Oleksiak leads Canada to bronze in 4×200 freestyle relay", "Oleksiak Leads As Canada Destroys National 4×200 Free Relay Record", "Penny Oleksiak wins gold, captures historic 4th Olympic medal", "Penny Oleksiak gives Canada its first gold a Rio, shattering records", "Swimming phenom Penny Oleksiak earns Canada's first gold in Rio: Arthur", "Penny Oleksiak to carry flag for Canada at Rio closing ceremony", "Penny Oleksiak Talks Sneaking Home From Rio to Go to Wonderland with Roz & Mocha", "Penny Oleksiak Successfully Training Through Injuries (Video)", "Adapting to Fame, Dealing with Injury, Part of Olympic Champion Penny Oleksiak's Learning Curve", "Penny Oleksik Shows Fight to Win 100-Metre Freestyle at Team Canada Trials", "Kylie Masse Surprisees Hilary Caldwell to Win 200-m Backstroke at Team Canada Trials", "Penny Oleksiak misses podium, Masse close to world record", "Oleksiak breaks Canadian 50m butterfly record at 2017 FINA World Championships", "Penny Oleksiak 6th in 100m freestyle final at aquatics worlds", "World record-breaking swimmer Masse adds bronze in mixed relay", "Canadian mixed relay team swims to bronze at aquatics worlds", "FISU Games, World Junior Teams Announced", "Penny Oleksiak, Canada win relay gold at world junior swimming championships", "4-time Olympic medallist Oleksiak returning to former coach O'Toole", "Swimming Canada Nominates 26 Athletes to Canada's 2018 Commonwealth Games Team", "Oleksiak, Masse headline Canadian swim team for Commonwealth Games", "Oleksiak withdraws from Pan Pacs to prepare for push to 2020", "Club Rosters – International Swimming League", "Canada's Penny Oleksiak makes waves at Olympic swim trials", "Canada's swimming sensation Penny Oleksiak, 16, is an 'honorary' Western New Yorker", "Get to know Penny Oleksiak, Canada's 16-year-old swimming medalist", "Olympian Penny Oleksiak Names Dog After Jaromir Jagr", Olympic champions in women's 100 m freestyle, World short course champions in women's 4×50 m freestyle relay, World short course champions in women's 4×200 m freestyle relay, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Penny_Oleksiak&oldid=986945034, Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m), World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming, Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming, Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Canada, Pages using infobox swimmer with national team parameter, Sports-Reference template missing archive parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 3 November 2020, at 22:20.