Joanne (Bouw) Berdan

Athlete, Field events, Paralympian, Pharmacist

Joanne Berdan (who competed as Joanne Bouw) is a native of St. Catharines, Ontario. Her claim to Windsor fame was coming in 1986 for one year to train under coach John Ritchie, a long-time Paralympics coach.  She has competed and gained recognition for achievements in javelin, shot put and discus as an athlete with cerebral palsy.  Among her many significant achievements are:

  • 1988, Paralympic Summer Games in Seoul, Korea: Won gold medals in her class for shot put, discus, and javelin
  • 1990 World Championships in Assen, Holland: gold medals
  • 1992 Paralympic Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain: Won gold medals in her class for shot put, discus, and javelin
  • 1996 Paralympic Summer Games in Atlanta, USA: competed in different disability group when her events were cancelled.  Retired after these games.
  • Finalist for Canadian Female Athlete of the Year honors (first athlete with a disability to be recognized for this honour)
  • King Clancy Award from the Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons
  • 4-time recipient of the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award
  • Dr. Robert Jackson Award for Ontario’s Disabled Athlete of the Year, 1986 & 1989
  • Edna Peace Memorial Award – Female Athlete of the Year, 1986 & 1989
  • Jim Vipond Award (Ontario’s top disabled athlete), 1986 & 1989
  • Jim Joy Memorial Award, St. Catharines Athlete of the Year, 1989
  • Ontario Cerebral Palsy Sports Association Athlete of the Decade (1980-1990)
  • Inducted into Canadian Paralympic Hall of Fame, 2003
  • Inducted into the University of Toronto Sports Hall of Fame, 2014 References:   Techko, T. (1995). The Olympians among us: celebrating a century of excellence. Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada: TraveLife Publishing Enterprises.

Joanne is a practicing pharmacist, wife and mother who continues to encourage and motivate athletes through committee work and speaking engagements to work their hardest to achieve their goals.

Sources:

The Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association  http://ccpsa.ca/en/sports/hall-of-fame/joanne-berdan/ Accessed 2016-07-05.

Techko, T. (1995). The Olympians among us: celebrating a century of excellence. Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada: TraveLife Publishing Enterprises.