Myriam Bedard Biography

1969-

Canadian biathlete

Although men have competed in the biathlon at the Olympics for many years, women did not compete until the early 1990s. Canadian Myriam Bedard won some of the first Olympic medals given in the biathlon, which is a combination of cross-country skiing and marksmanship with a .22-calibre rifle that is measured by time and accuracy. (Missed targets add time to the score or length to the course.) When Bedard won two gold medals at the 1994Winter Olympics, it marked the first time a Canadian woman had won two gold medals in one game. She was also the first North American to win a World Championship in the biathlon.

Myriam Bedard was born on December 22, 1969, one of four children born to Pierre and Francine Bedard. Her father was an electrician, while her mother was a child-care worker. Bedard was a very athletic child, playing basketball, doing gymnastics, and, more seriously,

Myriam Bedard

training as a figure skater. She skated from age six to age 12, but her family could not afford the kind of coaching she needed so she quit.