Elaine Tanner
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| Full name | Elaine Tanner-Watt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname | "Mighty Mouse" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | February 22, 1951 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.60 m (5 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 61 kg (134 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Backstroke, butterfly, freestyle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Canadian Dolphins Pacific Dolphins | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Howard Firby (Candian Dolphins) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Elaine Tanner-Watt OC (born February 22, 1951) is a Canadian former competition swimmer. She is a triple Olympic medalist and former world record-holder in five events.
Tanner was born in Vancouver, British Columbia on February 22, 1951, to Ron and Edna Tanner. She learned to swim by five when the family moved to California. Returning to Vancouver at eight where she immediately joined the Vancouver's Canadian Dolphins Swimming Club, she competed and trained for Hall of Fame Coach Howard Firby. She credited Firby's knowledge of anatomy and kinetics with a rapid development in her speed, largely a result of Firby's skills in refining her stroke technique. His knowledge of swimming and skilled, and demanding training helped her refine her natural strength and power to become a champion.
Nicknamed "Mighty Mouse" partly because of her small stature (standing barely five feet tall) and partly due to her competitive drive, Tanner had a large impact on Canadian swimming and is considered one of the top performers in the sport.