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 on February 5, 1977, is a Canadian athlete. She is famous for competing in the modern pentathlon at the Olympics twice. Monica was one of the first Canadian women to compete in this sport. She was also the only Indigenous athlete at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Her 13th-place finish there was the best ever for a Canadian in modern pentathlon.
Contents
Early Life and Sports Career
Monica Pinette was born in Vancouver and grew up in Langley, British Columbia. She started her sports journey in the Pony Club in Vancouver. At age 21, she discovered modern pentathlon. This sport combines five different events: swimming, shooting, fencing, horse-riding, and running.
Monica trained at various local clubs for each part of the pentathlon. She has a special advantage in fencing because she is left-handed. This can make it tricky for her opponents!
Education and Coaching
Monica studied at the University of Victoria, earning a degree in English. She also got a diploma in Journalism and Photojournalism. Her coach was her husband, Philipp Waeffler, who was an Olympic modern pentathlete himself in 1996.
Monica has joked that she has "Two Philipps" in her life: her husband and her coach. She learned to separate these two roles to avoid getting frustrated.
Special Recognition
Monica Pinette has received several important awards. In 2009, she earned the British Columbia Premier's Award. The next year, she received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award. This award is now known as the Indspire Awards. Monica was surprised to win because modern pentathlon is not a widely known sport.
Olympic and International Achievements
Monica Pinette began competing internationally in 2002 and 2003. She took part in the 2003 Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic, finishing seventh. This strong performance helped her qualify for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.
Athens 2004 Olympics
At the 2004 Olympics, Monica and fellow Canadian Kara Grant made their debut in the women's modern pentathlon. Monica performed very well in the fencing part of the competition. She finished 13th overall, which was the highest rank a Canadian modern pentathlete had ever achieved at the Olympics.
Continued Success and Beijing 2008
After the 2004 Olympics, Monica continued to excel. In 2006, she helped her team finish fourth in the relay at the World Modern Pentathlon Championships. That same year, she won a gold medal at the Pan American Championships.
In 2007, Monica 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 27th.
Personal Life and Advocacy
Monica Pinette is now retired from competing in modern pentathlon. She works to support Indigenous athletes in Canada. She also shares advice on how to live a healthy lifestyle, especially for Indigenous people.
Monica helped create a booklet called Growing Up Healthy. This booklet encourages First Nations parents in British Columbia to live healthy lives. Monica is married and has two sons. She lives with her family near Cologne, Germany.
