Quick Facts

Category: Para-swimmer
Club: Nanaimo Riptide Swim Club, University of Victoria Vikes, Island Swimming
Coach: Mike Blondal, Peter Vizsolyi, Ron Jacks

Highlights

1984 Games for the Physically Disabled (Long Island, United States)
4 Gold, 2 Silver, 4 World Records
1986 World Championships for the Physically Disabled (Gothenburg, Sweden)
1988 Paralympics (Seoul, South Korea)
9 Gold, 4 World Records
1990 World Championships for the Physically Disabled (Assen, Netherlands)
1992 Paralympics (Barcelona, Spain)
4 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 World Record

Biography

Michael Edgson is one of Canada’s most successful athletes whose performances in Paralympic pools continue to rank him amongst the very best.

The most decorated Paralympic Athlete in Canadian history, Michael Edgson, a visually impaired swimmer, captured  17 Gold and 3 Silver medals setting 9 World Records over three Paralympic Games.

Michael started swimming competitively at the age of eleven while living in Nanaimo, British Columbia. After trying a number of different sports, Edgson discovered the world of swimming where his visual impairment had no boundaries.

Michael’s career spanned a dozen years where he competed internationally both as an able bodied swimmer as well as a swimmer with a disability. After completing high school, Michael attended the University of Victoria joining the Vikes Swim Team where he earned his undergraduate degree.

After his swimming career, Michael was part of the Victoria Commonwealth Games Society responsible for the field of play of swimming at the Victoria Common Wealth Games. Michael continues to contribute to Sport in Canada as a Director of the Canadian Paralympic Committee.