CORRECTION: Ethel Catherwood, first Canadian woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in track and field honoured

SASKATOON, SK, Dec. 17, 2024 /CNW/ - National historic designations illustrate the defining moments in the story of Canada. Together, they tell the stories of who we are and connect us to our past, enriching our understanding of ourselves, each other, and our country.

Parks Canada and the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada today commemorated the national historic significance of Ethel Catherwood. A special ceremony was held in Saskatoon with Dr. Valerie Korinek, Saskatchewan representative of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, students of the Bedford Road Collegiate high school, and the local community.

Ethel Catherwood was a world-class athlete who improved women's opportunities to compete in track and field sports during a time when women had to fight their way into international competitions. Between 1926 and 1930, she set multiple national and world records in the high jump and the javelin throw while facing endemic sexism as a young woman. She won a gold medal in the high jump at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games, the first to include women's track and field. By succeeding in high jump, she helped challenge public opinion of women's athletic skills, opening the door to future opportunities for female athletes in track and field and other sports.

The Government of Canada, through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, recognizes significant persons, places, and events that shaped our country as one way of helping Canadians and youth connect with their past. The designation process under Parks Canada's National Program of Historical Commemoration is largely driven by public nominations. To date, more than 2,260 designations have been made nationwide.

Quotes

"The Government of Canada is committed to connecting Canadians to the significant persons, places, and events that have contributed to our country's rich and varied history. At a time when women were fighting for rights and equal opportunities, Ethel Catherwood demonstrated what women could achieve in sport. As the first Canadian woman to win an individual Olympic gold medal in track and field, her achievements changed perspectives and helped secure the long-term participation of women in Olympic track and field. I encourage all Canadians to learn more about Ethel Catherwood and to be inspired by her skill and her convictions."

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

"It's pretty tough to pick up a newspaper clipping from that time, and them not talk about her physical attributes, her beauty, her long legs, tall torso. All of this, every time they talked about her. As opposed to talking about her achievements and things. And I know it bothered her a lot."

John Godfrey, 
Great-Nephew to Ethel Catherwood

Quick Facts

• The brilliant athletic performances of Catherwood and her "Matchless Six" teammates earned Canada four medals and secured the place of women in Olympic track and field.
• Catherwood won gold in the high jump, and the rest of the team won gold in the relay, and silver and bronze in the 100-metre dash.
• Catherwood is the only Canadian woman to have won gold in an Olympic individual track and field event during the 20^th century.
• Fanny "Bobbie" Rosenfeld, one of Catherwood's "Matchless Six" teammates, is also a person of national historic significance.
• The designation process under Parks Canada's National Program of Historical Commemoration is largely driven by public nominations. To date, more than 2,260 designations have been made nationwide. To nominate a person, place or historic event in your community, please visit the Parks Canada website for more information: https://parks.canada.ca/culture/designation/proposer-nominate.
• Created in 1919, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada advises the Minister of Environment and Climate Change regarding the national significance of persons, places, and events that have marked Canada's history. Together with Parks Canada, the Board ensures that subjects of national historic significance are recognized under Parks Canada's National Program of Historical Commemoration and that these important stories are shared with Canadians.

Related Document

Backgrounder: Ethel Catherwood

Related Links

Parks Canada

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada

Framework for History and Commemoration

http://www.twitter.com/parkscanada

http://www.twitter.com/parkscanada

SOURCE Parks Canada (HQ)

Contacts: Lisa Leuty, Public Relations and Communications Officer, Parks Canada, 306-514-0593, [email protected]; Hermine Landry, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 873-455-3714, [email protected]; Media Relations, Parks Canada, 1-855-862-1812, [email protected]