Canadian Olympic medalist and former World Record holder Nancy Garapick has died. She was 64.
A cause of death has not been released, but Swimming Canada says she died peacefully at home in Langley, B.C. on Monday.
As a young swimmer, Garapick was an early star for Canada growing up training with the Halifax Trojan Aquatic Club away fromv the country’s traditional swimming hubs. On April 27, 1975, at the Eastern Canadian Swimming Championships in Brantford, Ontario, she set a World Record in the 200 backstroke at juts 13 years old. Her time of 2:16.33 stood for just over a month before East Germany’s Birgit Treiber broke it.
That same year, she won the 200 yard backstroke at the AAU National Championships, then one of the primary U.S. National Championship meet. She also won silver in the 200 back and bronze in the 100 back at the inaugural World Championships in 1975.
For her efforts, she was named the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award winner as Canada’s top female athlete. She was the youngest woman to ever win that award.
At the Montreal 1976 Olympics, she became one of Canada’s youngest-ever female Olympian at just 14 years old. She would win bronze medals in both the 100 and 200 backstrokes at those Games.
She later won a relay bronze at the 1978 World Championships, five medals at the 1979 Pan American Games, and she was selected to the 1980 Olympic team before Canada boycotted the Games.
She swam collegiately in the United States at USC and retired from competition in 1983 with 17 national titles.
In 2008, she was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
After her swimming career, she worked as a teacher in the remote Yukon.
Memories of Garapick poured out on social media both from her peers and from swimming fans.
Pamela Rai, a 1984 Canadian Olympic swimmer who won a bronze medal on the 400 medley relay, called Garapick “one of her biggest heroes…”
“One of my biggest heroes, an inspiration, friend and teammate Nancy Garapick has passed away. I was actually in Langley on the day she passed and had no idea she lived there. I was there many, many times over the years visiting family. Such sorrow. I had tried to find her over the years to connect but was unsuccessful finding her. She was the most amazing person – bubbly, friendly, compassionate. We had a bond and she mentored me on the Canadian National Swim Team. She was so young when she made national team 1975 and she took me under her wing knowing I too was just like her – only 14 when I made national team in 1980. Google her… her performance in the 1976 Olympics was phenomenal against East German women who were taking steroids. At age 15, she should have been recognized as a double gold medallist in the 100 and 200 meter backstroke at the 1976 Olympics as the east Germans cheated. She deserved the recognition she never got for her success. She became a teacher and she disappeared from the limelight and pressure from her youth. I so related. I have the deepest regret I could not reconnect with her after all these years and know her post swimming life. I heard she was in the lower mainland somewhere. I am deeply saddened. I resonated with her soul. Rest in peace my mentor, teammate and supportive friend. This is a tough one to absorb. I never had the chance to thank her for her inspiration and support. Thank you Nancy.”
Robert Thornton, who describes himself as a lifelong Canadian swimming fan, echoed that inspiration in an email to SwimSwam.
“I remember watching her awe inspiring swims at the 76 Olympics in Montreal. Nancy of course won two bronze medals in the 100 and 200 backstroke finishing behind the two East German women whom I believe were stripped of their gold and silver medals respectively years later when they were found to be longstanding participants of the East German doping scandal of the 1970’s.
I wish Nancy could have been awarded the gold medals she rightfully won in her lifetime.
Nancy was a phenom who set a world record in the 200 backstroke at the age of 13 and set numerous Canadian age group records some of which lasted over 40 years. She is considered one of Canada’s greatest female swimmers of all time and in my eyes she is right up there with the McIntosh’s and Oleksiak’s of the Canadian swimmers Mount Rushmore.”
Rest in peace did not know Nancy personally but I was in awe of her talents..yes she should have won gold in 1976 ahead of the East Germans
Very sad news. I vaguely remember Nancy when watching the Montreal Olympics as a 9 year old. Mostly, I remember the east Germans dominating the gold medals in the pool, Greg Joy winning silver in high jump, and Bruce Jenner winning the decathlon amidst a sea of American flags in the stands.
There are some documentaries of Nancy Garapick on youtube showing her riding her bike to the pool to train. She seemed like a very humble, talented and dedicated athlete. Salt of the earth as a Maritimer♡. The boycotting of the Moscow Olympics really did a massive disservice to these athletes. Sad loss. Gone too early. Thank you for this article, Braden.
As a swimmer on USC’s men’s swimming team, I got to know Nancy as a person first. I had no idea of any of her accomplishments until much later in her first year there. We all loved her and were very sad when she left. My brother, Shawn, and I were from the Detroit area and had several summer vacations in the Ontario, Canada area as children. She, being from Nova Scotia, was further away than Ontario Province, but we did have some understanding of upbringing growing up in the harsh winters. Over the years, my brother and I would reminisce about our days at USC and wonder where people were. Nancy’s name would always come up, wondering what she… Read more »
Those are lovely words. Thank you for writing that.
The 1975 World Championships in Cali, CO were the 2nd time they were held. The inaugural World Championships were held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in 1973.
Sad news. She was at USC at the same time I was a student. I don’t think I ever met her but I do remember the swim team articles we would write for the Daily Trojan that cited her Olympic medals and other accomplishments.
The Montreal Olympics were seen as a complete failure for Team Canada, which brought home zero gold medals in any sport, but in reality, their women won three golds in the pool that were stolen by East Germans.
Garapick would have led a 1-2-3 Canadian sweep in the 100 backstroke in addition to winning the 200 back, and Canadians would have taken 1-2 in the 400 IM, with Cheryl Gibson winning, one of three individual events she should have taken home medals in.
Nancy Garapick never got the accolades she deserved. She should have been a double Olympic gold medalist and the pride of Canadian sport at the age of 14. May she rest in peace, and may… Read more »
What a loss to all She had gifts in the pool and outtthe pool we will never see again. Yes Nancy. You Made A Difference to the World
It’s a shame she had to compete against the East Germans in 76
People who witnessed the drug cheats it’s not the medal that makes the person it’s her world wide family that made a difference and to all Nancy will always be a person first and Champion second.