Home Grown Talent: Olympians from Winnipeg
The 2024 Summer Olympics are in full effect in Paris, and of course we’re cheering on Team Canada.
As proud Winnipeggers, Rumor’s Comedy Club loves helping to develop local comedy talent, and so we love it when we see Winnipeggers competing on the Olympic stage, too.
So this week, Rumor’s — Winnipeg’s best comedy club — is paying tribute to Olympic athletes from Winnipeg.
Cindy Klassen
Speed skater Cindy Klassen holds the record for most medals in one Olympic games by a Canadian. That happened back in Turin, Italy in 2006, when Klassen brought home five medals — one gold medal, two silver, and two bronze.
After her retirement from competitive speed skating, Klassen joined the Calgary Police Service as a constable. Good luck outrunning this speed demon, criminals!
Clara Hughes
Winnipeg has produced a lot of talented athletes, including that fiery-haired multi-sport sensation, Clara Hughes.
Hughes started her Olympic career in cycling winning two bronze medals at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Clara switched sports at the turn of the millennium, choosing to focus on her first love, speed skating. She qualified for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics where she won a bronze medal. Four years later she claimed gold and silver medals, before snagging another bronze in 2010.
Clara Hughes is the only athlete, male or female, to win multiple medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics.
Now, Clara is an advocate for mental health initiatives, and she’s a recipient of the Order of Canada.
Susan Auch
Auch (left) with teammate Catriona Le May Doan at the 1998 Nagano Olympics.
Winnipeg is a cold city, so it’s no wonder that we’ve produced so many great speed skaters, including Canadian Sports Hall of Famer, Susan Auch.
Auch competed in five Olympic games, and was the first Canadian speed skater to crack the 39-second 500 metres before the invention of the clap-skate.
After retiring from speed skating with three Olympic medals (two silver and one bronze), Auch ran as a Progressive Conservative candidate in the 2011 Manitoba provincial election, but wasn’t quite as successful in that race as she was on the oval track.
Jonathan Toews
He’s more known for his success as an NHL hockey player, winning three Stanley Cups and appearing in six NHL All-Star Games, but Jonathan Toews is also a decorated Olympian, winning the gold medal with team Canada in 2010 and again in 2014.
Thanks to his on-ice achievements, the Province of Manitoba has named a lake after Toews — Lake Toews — which is located about an hour and a half north of Flin Flon.
Jennifer Jones
In 2014, Winnipeg-born curler Jennifer Jones found herself just a stone’s throw away from an Olympic gold medal — literally. Her single take-out in the 10th end of the gold medal match with Sweden sealed the deal, and Jennifer Jones’ name will be forever remembered among the greatest curlers of all-time.
Desiree Scott
Contrary to popular belief, there are other seasons in Winnipeg other than winter, and we’ve actually produced some pretty good warm weather athletes. One of the best is Canadian Women’s Soccer midfielder, Desiree Scott.
Scott has already appeared in three Olympics, medaling each and every time with bronze medals in 2012 and 2016, and a gold in 2021. And she’s hoping to keep that streak alive as she suits up for Canada in Paris.
Fun fact: Desiree actually played soccer alongside another Winnipeg-born soccer phenom — comedian and actor Aisha Alfa, who won Rumor’s Winnipeg’s Funniest Person with a Day Job Contest back in 2011, and who can be seen on season 1 of Peacock’s Based on a True Story.
Winnipeg's own Aisha Alfa (left) appears along side Annabelle Dexter Jones (centre) and Kaley Cuoco (right)
Paris 2024
If you’re watching the Paris 2024 Olympics, there are a handful of Winnipeg-born athletes to keep your eye on. Here’s a quick list of our Manitoba medal hopefuls.
Eric Loeppky, volleyball
Luke Herr, volleyball
Skylar Park, taekwondo
Tyler Mislawchuk, triathlon
Desiree Scott, soccer
More: 40 for 40: Forty Facts About Rumor’s Comedy Club
Winnipeg’s homegrown talent
Winnipeg has tons of homegrown talent from elite athletes to world-class comedians. Rumor’s is proud to help foster and grow the comedy talent in Winnipeg, and we love seeing Winnipeg comedians perform alongside some of the best headlining comedians from around the world each and every week.
If you want to see who the next big name in Winnipeg comedy is, or if you’re just looking for things to do in Winnipeg, get your tickets for the Winnipeg’s Funniest Person with a Day Job Contest final happening in September. You can book online or by calling 204-488-4520.