Mark Oldershaw
{{short description|Canadian canoeist (born 1983)}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Mark Oldershaw
| image = Mark Oldershaw - 2012 Olympic Heroes Parade.jpg
| caption = Oldershaw at the 2012 Olympic Heroes Parade in Toronto, September 2012
| fullname =
| nationality = Canadian
| sport = Canoeing
| event = C-1 1000m, C-1 500m
| club =
| collegeteam =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1983|02|07}}
| birth_place = Burlington, Ontario
| residence =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| height = {{convert|1.86|m|ftin}}
| weight = {{convert|94|kg|lb}}
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalOlympic}}
{{MedalBronze|2012 London|C-1 1000 m}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalBronze|2013 Duisburg|C-1 5000 m}}
{{MedalBronze| 2013 Duisburg | 4 x C–1 200 m}}
{{MedalCompetition|Pan American Games}}
{{MedalSilver|2015 Toronto|C-1 1000 m}}
}}
Mark Oldershaw (born February 7, 1983) is a Canadian sprint canoeist. Oldershaw won the bronze medal in the C-1 1000 m at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He is a third generation Canadian Olympic canoer, fifth family member to compete at the Olympics and the first member of the family to win an Olympic medal. He was a double Junior World Champion in the C-1 500 m and C-1 1,000 m in 2001.
Career
Oldershaw was born in Burlington, Ontario. He first rose to prominence as a double gold-medalist at the Junior World Championships in 2001, winning both the C-1 500 m and C-1 1,000 m events. However a few years later a tumour was discovered in his right hand which was his prominent paddling hand. This required two surgeries, damaged a nerve and caused him chronic pain.{{cite news |title=Canada's Mark Oldershaw's bronze medal honours family's Olympic legacy in canoe |author=Christie Blatchford |author-link=Christie Blatchford |url=https://montrealgazette.com/sports/2012-summer-games/Oldershaw+grabs+bronze+canoe/7057420/story.html |newspaper=Montreal Gazette |date=August 8, 2012}} This also caused him to miss qualifying for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Oldershaw did qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics, there at Beijing he suffered further disappointment, missing the final of the C-1 500 m event.
Despite these disappointments he continued on in his career and his goal of Olympic success. At the 2011 World Championships in Szeged, Hungary Oldershaw came 5th in the C-1 1,000 m. He then qualified as part of Canada's team for the 2012 Summer Olympics,{{cite news|title='Lopsided' canoeist Mark Oldershaw hungry for redemption|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/london2012/athletes/article/1230906--london-2012-crooked-mark-oldershaw-hungry-for-redemption|accessdate=July 26, 2012|newspaper=Toronto Star|date=July 24, 2012|author=Dave Feschuk}} he won a bronze medal in the C-1 1,000 m event.{{cite news | last = Piercy | first = Justin | title = Canadian paddlers van Koeverden, Oldershaw win silver, bronze | newspaper = CBC Sports | location = Toronto | publisher = cbc.ca | date = 2012-08-08 | url = https://www.cbc.ca/sports/2.720/canadian-paddlers-van-koeverden-oldershaw-win-silver-bronze-1.1235703 | access-date = 2012-08-08}} After achieving Olympic success at last, he stated that "I am so happy. I just can’t even put it into words right now. I’m just so proud to represent Canada. The whole race I was just staring at the nose of my boat, there’s a big maple leaf on it, and it’s just such a good feeling."
On July 1, 2015 Oldershaw was named the flagbearer of Canada at the 2015 Pan American Games opening ceremony.{{cite web |url=http://olympic.ca/2015/07/01/mark-oldershaw-to-lead-team-canada-at-to2015-as-flag-bearer/ |title=Mark Oldershaw to lead Team Canada at TO2015 as flag bearer |last1=Hossain|first1=Asif |date=1 July 2015 |website=olympic.ca/ |publisher=Canadian Olympic Committee|access-date=1 July 2015}}
Personal
File:Mark Oldershaw at BSOMF 2015.jpg, participating as part of the 2015 Pan American Games torch relay.]]
He is a son of Olympian canoeist Scott Oldershaw—who is also his coach at the Burloak Canoe Club{{cite news |title=New Oldershaw at helm of Burloak Canoe Club |url=http://www.insidehalton.com/sports/article/478759--new-oldershaw-at-helm-of-burloak-canoe-club |work=Burlington Post |date=January 26, 2008 |accessdate=July 30, 2012}}—and grandson of Olympian canoeist Bert Oldershaw, making him the third generation and fifth member of his family to compete in the Olympics.{{cite news|title=Mark Oldershaw continues a three-generation family tradition at Olympics |url=http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/06/15/mark-oldershaw-continues-a-three-generation-family-tradition-at-olympics/ |accessdate=July 30, 2012 |newspaper=National Post |date=June 15, 2012 |author=Sean Fitz-Gerald |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130104035224/http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/06/15/mark-oldershaw-continues-a-three-generation-family-tradition-at-olympics/ |archivedate=January 4, 2013 }}{{cite web|title=Projected Medal Count|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/brian_cazeneuve/07/26/2012-olympics-medal-predictions/index.html?eref=sircrc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120727215847/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/olympics/2012/writers/brian_cazeneuve/07/26/2012-olympics-medal-predictions/index.html?eref=sircrc|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 27, 2012|work=Inside Olympics|publisher=Sports Illustrated|accessdate=July 26, 2012|author=Brian Cazeneuve|date=July 26, 2012}} Oldershaw is also close friends with Olympic teammate Adam van Koeverden and trains together with him at the Burloak Canoe Club.{{cite news |title=Canadian paddlers van Koeverden, Oldershaw win silver, bronze |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/2.720/canadian-paddlers-van-koeverden-oldershaw-win-silver-bronze-1.1235703 |author=Justin Piercy |publisher=CBC Sports |date=August 8, 2012}}
References
{{Reflist}}
;Sources
- {{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ol/mark-oldershaw-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418035156/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ol/mark-oldershaw-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-04-18}}
External links
- {{ICF|mark-oldershaw}}
- {{Olympics.com profile|mark-oldershaw}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oldershaw, Mark}}
Category:Canadian male canoeists
Category:Canoeists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Category:Canoeists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Category:Canoeists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic canoeists for Canada
Category:Sportspeople from Burlington, Ontario
Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Canada
Category:Olympic medalists in canoeing
Category:Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Category:Pan American Games silver medalists for Canada
Category:Pan American Games silver medalists in canoeing
Category:Canoeists at the 2015 Pan American Games