13 Facts About Kathleen Heddle

Kathleen Heddle's father, Duncan, worked as a mining engineer; her mother, Marilyn, was a registered dietitian and housewife.

Kathleen Heddle went on to study psychology at the University of British Columbia, obtaining a bachelor's degree in 1990.

Kathleen Heddle was selected in large part due to her height and rowed with the team for two years.

Kathleen Heddle was promoted to the national team in 1987, and won a gold medal in straight pairs at the Pan American Games that year.

Kathleen Heddle was part of the quartet that finished in fourth place in both the 1989 and 1990 World Rowing Championships.

Kathleen Heddle was consequently paired with Marnie McBean by their coach.

Kathleen Heddle took a one-year hiatus from the sport in 1993, and changed to sculling.

Kathleen Heddle was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1994.

Kathleen Heddle was conferred the Thomas Keller Medal by FISA, the International Rowing Federation, for her outstanding career in international rowing in 1999.

Kathleen Heddle was enshrined into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.

Kathleen Heddle was granted an honorary doctorate of letters by UBC in November 2004.

Kathleen Heddle died on January 11,2021, at her home in Vancouver.

Kathleen Heddle was 55, and had breast cancer and lymphoma followed by melanoma and brain cancer in the six years preceding her death.