Diane Matheson

Diane Matheson, aged only 18 and competing out of the Moncton Olympic Track Club, broke the Canadian records in the 100 and 220 yard events during an Olympic training program in Toronto. Within two years she was a member of Canada’s delegation to the Summer Olympics and participated in the 100 m, 200 m, and 4×100 m relay events, although she was eliminated in the opening round of all of them. At the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, however, she won a bronze medal in the 4×110 yard relay event alongside Eleanor Haslam, Maureen Rever, and Freyda Berman. The following year she became the first woman to coach the University of British Columbia’s track team and married Doug Clement, another Olympic representative for Canada.

Matheson remained active in athletic circles for many years, serving as president of Athletics Canada from 1973 through 1976 and as the first female president of the Canadian Track and Field Association in 1974. In 1962 she and her husband helped found the Richmond Kajaks track club and coached top international athletes for over three decades. She was also heavily involved in two of Canada’s Olympic Games: she was Host Country President for the 1976 Summer Olympics and served on the board of directors for Vancouver’s 2010 Winter Olympics bid committee. Her other athletic projects include the Vancouver Sun Run and the Achilles International Track and Field Society. Outside of sports she is an avid chef who has authored a best-selling book series on the topic, co-owned a café, and hosted a cooking show on Canadian television.

Personal Bests: 100 – 11.8 (1956); 200 – 24.7 (1956).