Olympic medallist Angela Chalmers inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame – Canadian Running Magazine

Wednesday marked the Canada Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony for one of the nation’s most exceptional female distance runners–Angela Chalmers. The retired track athlete and two-time Olympian had an outstanding career in the sport, and is the only Canadian female athlete to win an Olympic medal in a distance running event. She was also the first Indigenous woman from Canada to win an Olympic medal.

Alongside eight other Canadian athletes at the Gatineau, Que., ceremony, Chalmers’ achievements were recognized with her receiving Canada’s highest sporting honour, the Order of Sport.

Chalmers was born in Brandon, Man., in 1963 and grew up in Victoria. She is a graduate of Northern Arizona University, where she competed in the NCAA and became an eight-time All-American. Throughout her collegiate career and the years that followed, Chalmer’s list of achievements in the sport grew rapidly.

Athletics achievements

• 1985 World University Games bronze medallist in the 3,000m in (Kobe, Japan)
• 1986 NCAA Cross-Country Championships gold medallist (Tucson, Ariz.)
  1987 Pan American Games silver medallist in the 3,000m (Indianapolis, Ind.)
• 1988 Summer Olympic Games national team member (Seoul, Korea)
• 1990 Commonwealth Games gold medallist in the 1,500m and 3,000m (Auckland), becoming the first female athlete to win both events
• 1992 Summer Olympics Games bronze medallist in the 3,000m (Barcelona, Spain)
• 1994 Commonwealth Games opening ceremonies flag bearer and 3,000m gold medallist (Victoria), setting the Canadian and Commonwealth Games records of 8:32:17
• 1994 Grand Prix Final gold medallist in the 1,500m (Paris, France)
• 1994 IAAF World Cup silver medallist in the 1,500m (London, U.K.)
• 1995 IAAF World Championships fourth-place finisher in the 1,500m (Gothenburg, Sweden)
• 1996 Summer Olympics Team Canada nominee in the 1,500m and 3,000m (Atlanta), but was sidelined with a leg injury

Chalmers retired from completion in 1997 and currently lives near Brisbane, Australia, with her husband, retired Australian 1,500m runner Simon Doyle, and their two children. Her 3,000m Canadian record from 1994 still stands.

She was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Athletics Canada Hall of Fame in 2019.

“(This award) represents everything,” Chalmers said in an interview with Canada Sports Hall of Fame. “Its such a long journey, and it’s not really what you’re going for when you’re an athlete, but hopefully it’ll inspire other athletes to see that your journey takes you to so many places beyond where you thought you were going to go.”

Advocate for Aboriginal empowerment

Chalmers is a member of the Birdtail Sioux First Nation, and continued to be an influential advocate for Aboriginal empowerment throughout her athletics career. She received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award in Sports in 1995. In the Sioux language, Angela Chalmers’s name is Dusmanwe, which means “Walk Fast Woman.”