Monica Pinette facts for kids
Monica Pinette, Yane Marques and Michelle Kelly at the 2007 Pan American Games
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| Personal information | |||||||||||
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| Nationality | Canadian | ||||||||||
| Born | February 5, 1977 Vancouver, British Columbia |
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| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||
| Weight | 59 kg (130 lb) | ||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||
| Sport | Modern pentathlon | ||||||||||
| Club | Fraser Valley Modern Pentathlon Association | ||||||||||
| Coached by | Philipp Waeffler | ||||||||||
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Medal record
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Monica Pinette (born February 5, 1977) is a Canadian athlete. She competed in the modern pentathlon at two Olympic Games. Monica was one of the first Canadian women to compete in this sport. She is also the only Métis athlete to represent Canada at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Her 13th-place finish at those Olympics was Canada's best result in modern pentathlon at the time.
Contents
Early Life and Sports Start
Monica Pinette was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. She grew up in Langley, British Columbia. Monica started her journey in sports with the Pony Club in Vancouver. This club teaches young people about horses and riding.
She began training for modern pentathlon when she was 21 years old. This sport combines five different events. These are swimming, shooting, fencing, horse riding, and running. Monica trained at local clubs for each of these skills.
Unique Fencing Style
Monica has a special advantage in fencing. She is left-handed, which is rare in the sport. This can make it tricky for her opponents to fence against her.
Education and Coaching
Monica studied at the University of Victoria. She earned a degree in English. She also got a diploma in Journalism and Photojournalism. Her husband, Philipp Waeffler, was her coach. He was also an Olympic modern pentathlete from Switzerland.
Monica joked that she had "Two Philipps" in her life. She learned to separate her husband from her coach. This helped her avoid getting frustrated during training.
Special Recognition
Monica Pinette has received important awards. In 2009, she got the British Columbia Premier's Award. In 2010, she received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award. This award is now called the Indspire Awards. It recognized her achievements in sports. Monica was surprised to win, as pentathlon is not a widely known sport.
Olympic Journey and Achievements
Monica Pinette first competed internationally in 2002 and 2003. She took part in the World Championships. In 2003, she competed at the 2003 Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic. She finished in seventh place there.
Athens 2004 Olympics
After her strong performance, Monica qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She competed alongside another Canadian athlete, Kara Grant. Monica's best event was fencing. She finished 13th overall at the Olympics. This was the highest finish for any Canadian modern pentathlete, male or female, in Olympic history.
Continued Success and Beijing 2008
Monica continued to achieve great results. In 2006, her team finished fourth in the relay at the World Championships. She also won a gold medal at the Pan American Championships that same year.
In 2007, she earned a silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This medal automatically qualified her for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. At the Beijing Olympics, Monica finished in 27th place.
Personal Life and Advocacy
Monica Pinette has now retired from competing in modern pentathlon. She works to help aboriginal athletes in Canada. She also shares advice on living a healthy lifestyle. This is especially for aboriginal people.
She helped create a booklet called Growing Up Healthy. This booklet encourages First Nations parents in British Columbia to live healthily. Monica is married and has two sons. She lives with her family near Cologne, Germany.
