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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Reema Abdo | ||||||||||||||
| National team |  Canada | ||||||||||||||
| Born | May 19, 1963 Aden, Federation of South Arabia | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 59 kg (130 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Backstroke | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Trenton Dolphins | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Reema Abdo (born May 19, 1963) is a Canadian former backstroke swimmer and Olympic bronze medallist. Abdo was born in Aden, in the Federation of South Arabia, and became a naturalized Canadian citizen.
Abdo began her swimming career in Kingston, Ontario, at age 12. In 1976 she moved, with her family, to Trenton, Ontario, and joined Trenton Dolphin Swim Club, where coach George Sulk trained her.
Over her career Abdo garnered a total of 14 national championship medals: 7 Gold, 4 Silver and 3 Bronze - all in her specialty, the backstroke. [1] In 1984 she was the Canadian record holder in the short course 100-metre and 200-metre backstroke. [1]
Abdo represented Canada at the USSR-Germany-Canada Tri-meet, the Commonwealth Games, the World University Games, the Pan Pacific Championships and the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where she won a bronze medal in the 4 × 100 m medley relay with teammates Anne Ottenbrite, Michelle MacPherson and Pamela Rai. [2]
Competed for Canada at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. There she won the bronze medal in the 4x100-metre medley relay, alongside Anne Ottenbrite, Michelle MacPherson and Pamela Rai.
Abdo attended both Arizona State University and the University of Toronto and following her exceptional swimming career, she coached swimming for several years where she was a successful age-group and university coach. She continues an active lifestyle competing in triathlons and long-distance running. Abdo is a member of the Ontario Provincial Police, out of Prince Edward.
Natalie Anne Coughlin Hall is an American former competition swimmer and twelve-time Olympic medalist. While attending the University of California, Berkeley, she became the first woman ever to swim the 100-meter backstroke in less than one minute—ten days before her 20th birthday in 2002. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she became the first U.S. female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympiad, and the first woman ever to win a 100-meter backstroke gold in two consecutive Olympics. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she earned a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay.
Canada competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States, held from 28 July to 12 August 1984. Canada returned to the Summer Games after having participated in the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics. 408 competitors, 257 men and 151 women, took part in 193 events in 23 sports.
Tracy Anne Stockwell, OAM,, née Tracy Anne Caulkins, is an American former competition swimmer, three-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time world champion, and former world record-holder in three events.
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Anne Ottenbrite is a Canadian former breaststroke swimmer, who won three medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles: gold, silver, and bronze. In the last event she was accompanied by Reema Abdo, Michelle MacPherson and Pamela Rai.
Michelle A. MacPherson, also known by her married name Michelle Hojnacki, is a former backstroke and butterfly swimmer from Canada. After being selected for the Canadian Olympic swim team for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, MacPherson was unable to participate because of the United States-led boycott of the Moscow Olympics. Four years later, she represented Canada at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. There McPherson won a bronze medal in the women's 4×100-metre medley relay, alongside Canadian teammates Anne Ottenbrite, Reema Abdo and Pamela Rai.
Pamela Leila Rai is a former freestyle and butterfly swimmer who represented Canada from 1980 to 1987. Rai competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California where she won an Olympic bronze medal in the 4 × 100-metre medley relay, with teammates Anne Ottenbrite, Reema Abdo and Michelle MacPherson. Rai successfully represented Canada at many international meets throughout her career. Other notable accomplishments include University of Victoria Athlete of the Year 1986, City of Victoria Athlete of the Year 1985, 1983 Hapoel Games silver, 1983 Pan American Games silver, and 1986 Commonwealth Games gold medals. From 1984 to 1987 Rai swam for the University of Victoria, where she dominated Canadian university women's swimming. Rai is currently a high school math and social justice teacher and a certified yoga instructor trained in India of the Sivananda lineage. She is an honored inductee to the BC Sports Hall of Fame, the Swim BC Hall of Fame, the University of Victoria Legacy Hall of Fame and the Delta Sports Hall of Fame. Rai is the first woman in the world of Indian ancestry, and the first Indo-Canadian to win an Olympic medal.
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Canada took part at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane (Australia). With a total of 82 medals, Canada ranked third on the medal tally.
Arthur Byron MacDonald is an American Canadian swimming coach who helms the Toronto Varsity Blues swim teams at the University of Toronto. He is a former swimmer who competed for Canada in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. MacDonald placed sixth in the final of the men's 100-metre butterfly, and also competed in the preliminary heats of the 200-metre butterfly, but did not advance. He is currently the head coach of the Toronto Titans for the International Swimming League, and has also
Jennifer Fratesi is a Canadian former competitive swimmer who specialized in backstroke events. Fratesi set a Canadian record of 2:11.16 in the 200-metre backstroke at the 2001 FINA World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, placing 4th in the world. This national record would last nearly a decade, one of the oldest in the country. Fratesi grew up in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario swimming for the Sault Ste Marie Aquatics club until age 15, then relocated to the national swim center in Waterloo Ontario. She saw an immediate drop in her times here under the direction of Bud McAllister, an American born coach. Fratesi went on to win 1 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze at the Junior Olympics in Sydney, Australia and won 10 national senior titles in her career.
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Kylie Jacqueline Masse is a Canadian competitive swimmer. She is a four-time Olympic medallist, having tied for the bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the 100 m backstroke and then won silver medals at the 2020 Summer Olympics in both the 100 m and 200 m backstroke and a bronze medal in the 4x100 m medley. Masse is a two-time world champion in the 100 m backstroke, breaking the eight year old world record in the process, which she held until July 2018. While winning her title in Budapest at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships she became the first Canadian woman to become a world champion in a swimming event. She subsequently became the first Canadian woman to defend her world title at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships. She is currently the captain for the Toronto Titans of the International Swimming League.
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