Charmaine Crooks, CM OLY (1962)
Born in Mandeville, Jamaica, Crooks moved to Canada at age six, the fifth child out of her nine siblings. After watching her siblings run track, she decided to start it at school as well and began to take running quite seriously. In 1979, at the age of sixteen, she qualified for the 1980 Canadian Olympic team. Unfortunately, she didn’t get to compete due to the Olympic Games being boycotted in Moscow.
She received a track scholarship to the University of El Paso in Texas, completing her degree in psychology by 1984 - just in time to compete for Canada at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Crooks was the first Canadian woman to break the two-minute barrier for the 800m event, and her victories did not stop there.
Prior to competing at the 1984 Olympics:
Won the 400 metre at the first Pan Am Junior Championships in 1980 and a Silver in the 4 x 400 metre relay.
Won a Bronze at the 1981 World Cup in Rome as a member of the America's 4 x 400 metre relay team.
Won a Gold medal in the 4 x 400 metre relay and placed 7th in the individual 400 metre race at the 1982 Commonwealth Games.
In 1983, she took Gold in the 400 metres at the Pan Am Games and a Silver in 4 x 400 metre relay. She won a Silver in the World University Games as a member of the 4 x 400 metre team.
In 1984, at the Los Angeles Olympics, she won Silver as a part of the team that set a national record for the 4 x 400 metre relay. She finished 7th in the 400 metre final, setting a personal best.
After the 1984 Olympic Games:
In 1986 she was again Commonwealth champion as a member of the winning 4 x 400 metre relay squad, and placed 5th in the individual 400 metres.
In 1987 she was on Canada's Silver medal 4 x 400 metre relay team at the Pan Am Games.
In 1989 at the World Cup she won Gold as a member of the America's 4 x 400 metre relay team.
She took home two Silver medals in the individual 400 metre and as part of Canada's 4 × 400 metre relay team at the 1989 Francophone Games in Casablanca.
In 1992, she won a silver medal in the 400 metres at the World Cup and was again a member of the winning America’s 4 x 400 metre relay team.
In 1994, at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, she was Silver medalist in the 800 metres and a Bronze medalist in the 4 x 400 metres.
Throughout her career, Crooks has steadfastly remained committed to the Olympic ideals of fair competition and service to the community. Her peers honoured this by naming her Canada’s flag bearer at the Opening Ceremonies of the1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. That same year, she was also elected to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission.
After retiring from competition, Crooks was a founding member of the IOC Ethics Commission and helped to develop a code of ethics for the organization.
She has continued to serve the Olympics ideals by being a part of several International Olympic and Canadian Committee endeavours. She was even part of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (VANOC) team in 2010.
Charmaine lives in Vancouver, running her own successful consultancy. She also continues to serve her sporting community internationally through organizations like Right to Play. Locally, she’s a board member of the Canuck’s Autism Network, an honourary member of Big Sisters of Lower Mainland, and she does much work with the Achilles International Track Society, which organizes the Harry Jerome Track Classic and Indoor Games.
She was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, received the IOC Women in Sport Trophy in 2006, and became a Member of the Order of Canada in 2013.
She received a track scholarship to the University of El Paso in Texas, completing her degree in psychology by 1984 - just in time to compete for Canada at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Crooks was the first Canadian woman to break the two-minute barrier for the 800m event, and her victories did not stop there.
Prior to competing at the 1984 Olympics:
Won the 400 metre at the first Pan Am Junior Championships in 1980 and a Silver in the 4 x 400 metre relay.
Won a Bronze at the 1981 World Cup in Rome as a member of the America's 4 x 400 metre relay team.
Won a Gold medal in the 4 x 400 metre relay and placed 7th in the individual 400 metre race at the 1982 Commonwealth Games.
In 1983, she took Gold in the 400 metres at the Pan Am Games and a Silver in 4 x 400 metre relay. She won a Silver in the World University Games as a member of the 4 x 400 metre team.
In 1984, at the Los Angeles Olympics, she won Silver as a part of the team that set a national record for the 4 x 400 metre relay. She finished 7th in the 400 metre final, setting a personal best.
After the 1984 Olympic Games:
In 1986 she was again Commonwealth champion as a member of the winning 4 x 400 metre relay squad, and placed 5th in the individual 400 metres.
In 1987 she was on Canada's Silver medal 4 x 400 metre relay team at the Pan Am Games.
In 1989 at the World Cup she won Gold as a member of the America's 4 x 400 metre relay team.
She took home two Silver medals in the individual 400 metre and as part of Canada's 4 × 400 metre relay team at the 1989 Francophone Games in Casablanca.
In 1992, she won a silver medal in the 400 metres at the World Cup and was again a member of the winning America’s 4 x 400 metre relay team.
In 1994, at the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, she was Silver medalist in the 800 metres and a Bronze medalist in the 4 x 400 metres.
Throughout her career, Crooks has steadfastly remained committed to the Olympic ideals of fair competition and service to the community. Her peers honoured this by naming her Canada’s flag bearer at the Opening Ceremonies of the1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. That same year, she was also elected to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission.
After retiring from competition, Crooks was a founding member of the IOC Ethics Commission and helped to develop a code of ethics for the organization.
She has continued to serve the Olympics ideals by being a part of several International Olympic and Canadian Committee endeavours. She was even part of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (VANOC) team in 2010.
Charmaine lives in Vancouver, running her own successful consultancy. She also continues to serve her sporting community internationally through organizations like Right to Play. Locally, she’s a board member of the Canuck’s Autism Network, an honourary member of Big Sisters of Lower Mainland, and she does much work with the Achilles International Track Society, which organizes the Harry Jerome Track Classic and Indoor Games.
She was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, received the IOC Women in Sport Trophy in 2006, and became a Member of the Order of Canada in 2013.
