Canadian Diane O’Grady had a short, but mildly successful, career on the international rowing scene. She won her first major international medal, silver, in the quadruple sculls event at the 1995 World Championships alongside Laryssa Biesenthal, Kathleen Heddle, and Marnie McBean. O’Grady and McBean, along with Silken Laumann and Wendy Wiebe, had also earned gold in the quadruple sculls at the Pan American Games earlier that year, but were disqualified after Laumann was found to have pseudoephedrine in her system, allegedly from a mix-up of cold medications. O’Grady’s next stop was the 1996 Summer Olympics where, with her world championship team, she won a bronze medal in the quadruple sculls, behind the Germans and the Ukrainians. Her final major international tournament was the 1997 World Championships where, alongside Theresa Luke, Maria Maunder, and the non-Olympian Jennifer Browett, she finished sixth. She retired from active competition at the conclusion of the season.
Canada