Former Canadian swim star, Olympic medallist Nancy Garapick dead at 64

By Canadian Press on April 8, 2026.

Former Canadian swim star and two-time Olympic medallist Nancy Garapick has died. She was 64.

Swimming Canada said Garapick died peacefully at home in Langley, B.C., on Monday.

The Halifax native set a world record as a 13-year-old in the 200-metre backstroke on April 27, 1975, at the Eastern Canadian Swimming Championships in Brantford, Ont., while a member of the Halifax Trojan Aquatic Club.

Later that year, Garapick was named Canada’s youngest-ever female athlete of the year at age 14.

At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, she earned bronze medals in both the 100 and 200 backstroke.

Garapick was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame and in 2008 became a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2026.

The Canadian Press

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