Ladner resident Michael Edgson is among10 athletes named to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame's Class of 2015 thanks to his dominance in the pool.
Edgson is the most accomplished Paralympic athlete in Canadian history, having captured 21 Olympic medals, including 18 gold, and setting nine world records over three Paralympic Games - 1984, 1988 and 1992. His biggest haul was at the '88 Games in Seoul where the visually impaired swimmer won nine gold and set four world records.
Edgson grew up in Nanaimo and eventually attended the University of Victoria where he was a member of the Vikings swim team. He swam competitively for 12 years.
Three years ago, he was inducted into the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame and also has been recognized by the Nanaimo Sports Hall of Fame (2009), University of Victoria Hall of Fame (2012) and the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame (2013). In 2006, he was added to the Terry Fox Hall of Fame.
Edgson and the rest of the 2015 Canadian Sports Hall of Fame Class was introduced at a ceremony in Toronto on Wednesday.
He is joined in the athlete category by Paul Coffey (hockey), Craig Forrest (soccer), Jennifer Heil (freestyle skiing), Danielle Goyette (hockey), Nicolas Gill (judo), Susan Auch (speed skating) and Sharon and Shirley Firth (cross-country skiing).
Edgson, 45, now works as a financial planner for RBC. His three children have been active in South Delta community sports, including his son Conor who will be representing B.C. at the upcoming Western Canadian Gymnastics Championships.
