18 Facts About Donna Gurr

Donna Gurr 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.

Donna 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.

Donna Gurr won five gold medals, swimming in both the junior and senior events, with the significant prize of winning the senior 100 metres backstroke and 200 metres backstroke titles.

Donna Gurr began training, virtually only being able to use one leg while swimming and doing the turns at each end of the pool, and using the crutches at all times, with no weight bearing on that leg.

Donna Gurr finished first at the trials, despite swimming with the use of only one leg and made the team in the 100 and 200-metre backstroke.

Donna Gurr won a silver medal in the 200-metre backstroke, and a bronze in the 100-metre backstroke and another bronze in the 4x100-metre medley relay in Edinburgh at the Commonwealth Games of 1970 at age 15.

Donna Gurr was awarded the BC Junior Athlete of the Year in 1970.

In 1971, at 16 years old, Donna Gurr won 3 gold and one silver medal at the Pan-American Games in Cali, Colombia.

Donna Gurr barely made it into the final of the 200-metre backstroke, qualifying 8th and swimming the race in lane 8, which is considered the worst lane and the battle for the bronze medal was very close among several of the swimmers.

At 18, in 1973, Donna Gurr competed in the first World Aquatic Championships in Belgrade, and at 19, in 1974, she went to her second Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand and won a silver and bronze medal.

Donna Gurr held numerous Canadian records in age group swimming and the senior events, as an individual and as a member of many relay teams, for the Canadian Dolphins and while representing Canada internationally.

Donna Gurr competed at the Santa Clara International Meet and in the 1976 Olympic Trials, but did not qualify for the team.

Donna Gurr traveled to England numerous times, attending the Coca-Cola International Meet in London in the spring, for several years, and on other occasions as well.

Donna Gurr traveled to Scotland, Holland, Germany twice, Switzerland, Norway, France, Austria and the former Yugoslavia.

Donna Gurr visited New Zealand twice, Australia once, where she met Dawn Fraser, a swimming icon, at the New South Wales Championships in January 1972.

Donna Gurr went to Hawaii, Fiji, and Cali, Colombia in 1971 for the Pan-Am Games.

Donna Gurr was chosen as one of the recipients of the Queen Elizabeth ll Diamond Jubilee Medal, which will be awarded at a special presentation ceremony in April 2012.

Almost half of the Munich Olympic swim team were from the Canadian Dolphins, and the medals won by Leslie Cliff, Bruce Robertson, Bill Mahoney and Donna Gurr accounted for almost all the medals won in Munich, including all sports.