Myriam Bédard
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| Born |
December 22, 1969 L'Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec |
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| Height | 161 cm (5 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 54 kg (119 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Biathlon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Courcelette Quebec | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Myriam Bédard, MSC (born December 22, 1969) is a Canadian retired biathlete. She represented Canada at two Winter Olympics winning gold medals, and a bronze medal. As of 2014, Bédard is the only Canadian biathlete, male or female, ever to win an Olympic medal, and the only North American biathlete ever to win Olympic gold.
Born in Neufchâtel, Quebec, Bédard learned marksmanship as a member of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets' 2772 cadet corps, which she joined at the age of 15, and participated in her first biathlon event at age 15. She became Canadian junior champion in the sport in 1987. In 1991, Bédard was the second Canadian to win a biathlon World Cup event, and she formed part of the Canadian team at the 1992 Winter Olympics, in Albertville, France – the first time women competed in biathlon at the Olympics – and Bédard won a bronze medal in the 15 km. The following year she won her first major title, as she won the 7.5 km event at the World Championships, also placing second in the 15 km race.
At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, she improved this performance and won both individual events, then served as Canada's flag bearer in the closing ceremony. She was also awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy in 1994 for the year's top performance by a Canadian athlete, as well as the Velma Springstead Trophy for best Canadian female athlete.
She is an honorary member of the Royal Military College of Canada, student # S120....
She briefly retired from the sport to give birth to her daughter (the father was another biathlete, and soldier, Jean Paquet). Her comeback was not very successful, being hampered by injuries. After the 1998 Winter Olympics, Bédard retired from biathlon. She later announced an attempt to make the Canadian Olympic team as a speed skater, but did not pursue this goal for long. In 2004, Bédard was one of eight persons (and the only woman) in the International Biathlon Union's executive board, where she served as the IBU's vice-president responsible for special issues.
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