Blythe Hartley
Encyclopedia
Blythe Hartley is a Canadian
Olympic diver
. She was born in Edmonton
, Alberta
and began diving at age 12. She went to the National Sport School
in Calgary
, Alberta with many other top Canadian athletes. Hartley attended Handsworth Secondary School
before going on to attend the University of Southern California
where she graduated in 2006 with a degree in communications.
Hartley won her first gold medal at the world aquatic championships in the 1 m springboard in Fukuoka
, Japan
in 2001, and won a bronze at the 2003 World Aquatics Championships
in 3 m springboard in Barcelona
, Spain
. Her best finish at the 2000 Summer Olympics
was in 3 m springboard synchro
where she finished 5th. She won her first Olympic medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics
where she won a bronze with partner Émilie Heymans
in the synchronized 10 m platform event.
Hartley also won a gold medal at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships
in Montreal in the springboard event.
The North Vancouver resident concluded her competitive career at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she placed fourth in the three-metre springboard
, edged out for the bronze by Wu Minxia
of China. Guo Jingjing
of China(who regarded Hartley as "fat Canadian" in a press conference after 2008 Olympic test event in February) successfully defended her Olympic gold medal, while Julia Pakhalina of Russia won the silver.
Her brother Wyatt Hartley played football
for Queen's University
, primarily as a running back. In 2007, Hartley's older brother Dr. Strachan Hartley died from cancer. The doctor also played football. He played at Handsworth Secondary School in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. He was a very good athlete and there is an annual run held in his name around the Handsworth neighbourhood and some of the football players help out.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Olympic diver
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
. She was born in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and began diving at age 12. She went to the National Sport School
National Sport School (Canada)
The National Sport School is a public high school in Calgary, Alberta; which teaches grades 9 through 12. The school is specially designed for Canadian Olympic calibre athletes to be able to train and travel internationally, while staying in school...
in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta with many other top Canadian athletes. Hartley attended Handsworth Secondary School
Handsworth Secondary School
Handsworth Secondary School is a public high school in North Vancouver, British Columbia and part of School District 44 North Vancouver. As of September 2009, the school reported 1419 students enrolled in Grades 8–12....
before going on to attend the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
where she graduated in 2006 with a degree in communications.
Hartley won her first gold medal at the world aquatic championships in the 1 m springboard in Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 2001, and won a bronze at the 2003 World Aquatics Championships
2003 World Aquatics Championships
Barcelona, Spain was the host city of the X FINA World Aquatics Championships or the 10th FINA World Championships in Aquatics, which were held from July 12 until July 27, 2003....
in 3 m springboard in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Her best finish at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
was in 3 m springboard synchro
Synchronized diving
Synchronized diving is an Olympic sport. First brought to the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia in 2000, the event features two divers who attempt to perform identical or mirrored dives...
where she finished 5th. She won her first Olympic medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
where she won a bronze with partner Émilie Heymans
Émilie Heymans
Émilie-Joane Heymans is a Canadian diver. Born in Brussels, Belgium and raised in Greenfield Park , a suburb of Montreal, she started diving in 1993, at age 11...
in the synchronized 10 m platform event.
Hartley also won a gold medal at the 2005 World Aquatics Championships
2005 World Aquatics Championships
The 2005 World Aquatics Championships or the XI FINA World Championships were held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from July 16 to July 31, 2005...
in Montreal in the springboard event.
The North Vancouver resident concluded her competitive career at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she placed fourth in the three-metre springboard
Diving at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Diving competitions at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics were held from August 10 to August 23, at the Beijing National Aquatics Centre.- Competition format :The following events were contested by both men and women in Beijing:...
, edged out for the bronze by Wu Minxia
Wu Minxia
Wu Minxia is a female diver from the People's Republic of China.Wu represented China at the 2004 Summer Olympics, earning a gold medal in the 3 metre women's synchronized springboard along with Guo Jingjing before winning a silver medal in the 3 metre women's springboard, coming in second place...
of China. Guo Jingjing
Guo Jingjing
Guo Jingjing is a Chinese female diver from the People's Republic of China. She has won more Olympic medals than any other female diver and has won the 3m springboard event at five consecutive World Championships. She announced her retirement in 2011....
of China(who regarded Hartley as "fat Canadian" in a press conference after 2008 Olympic test event in February) successfully defended her Olympic gold medal, while Julia Pakhalina of Russia won the silver.
Her brother Wyatt Hartley played football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
for Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
, primarily as a running back. In 2007, Hartley's older brother Dr. Strachan Hartley died from cancer. The doctor also played football. He played at Handsworth Secondary School in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. He was a very good athlete and there is an annual run held in his name around the Handsworth neighbourhood and some of the football players help out.