Donna Gurr
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| Full name | Donna-Marie Gurr | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
February 18, 1955 Vancouver, British Columbia |
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| Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 50 kg (110 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Backstroke, freestyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Pacific Dolphins | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Donna-Marie Gurr, CM (born February 18, 1955) is a former swimmer from Canada, who competed backstroke and freestyle events at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. There she won the bronze medal in the 200-metre backstroke. In 1976, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada, Canada's highest achievement award, in a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. She was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 1987, the BC Swimming Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Canadian Aquatic Hall of Fame.
Gurr started swimming at the newly built Arbutus Club in Vancouver in 1965, and later joined the Canadian Dolphin Swim Club, where her idol Elaine Tanner swam and was coached by Howard Firby. She qualified for her first Senior Nationals at age 12, placing 12th in one event. At the age of 13 she narrowly missed a berth on the 1968 Olympic team by placing 3rd in the 200-metre backstroke, at the Olympic Trials, and missing the qualifying time by only 3 tenths of a second. During the summer of 1969, aged 14, the Canadian Dolphins went on their first trip to Europe, where they attended the British Championships in Blackpool. She won 5 gold medals, swimming in both the junior and senior events. Next they attended the Canadian Nationals in Montreal, where she won her first National titles in the 100M and 200-metre backstroke, and came away with 4 gold and one silver medal. The team went on to the first Canada Games in Halifax where she won 5 gold medals. She was National Champion in the 100 and 200-metre backstroke from 1969-1972.
During her career, Gurr had many health problems and injuries. After the very successful summer of 1969, she began to experience pain in her left knee. X-rays showed a problem, Osteochondritis dissecans of the left femoral condyle, in which a part of the bone, was becoming detached from the femur. It was determined by her orthopedic surgeon Dr. Hector Gillespie, and her GP, sports medicine expert Dr. Doug Clement that surgery was needed to pin the loosened piece of bone in place. In December 1969 she entered the hospital for the surgery. Much to her surprise, when wheeled into the operating room, she was told of a change of plans. Due to her young age, it was hoped that with crutches and a specialized cast, from hip to ankle, the knee would heal on its own. The cast was made from heated and molded foam rubber, and secured by fiberglass dipped in acetone, and wrapped around the inner foam layer. When it dried, it weighed almost nothing, and she could continue her training. This was the prototype for the lightweight fiberglass casts used by many people today.
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