Donna Gurr

Who is Donna Gurr?

Donna-Marie Gurr, CM is a former backstroke swimmer from Canada, who competed for her native country at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. There she won the bronze medal in the 200m 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.

She 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 200M 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.