Catherwood was a world-class track and field star who helped improve athletic opportunities for women in international competitions
October 23, 2023 Gatineau, Quebec Parks Canada
Today, the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, announced the designation of Ethel Catherwood as a person of national historic significance under Parks Canada's National Program of Historical Commemoration. National historic designations encourage us to acknowledge the full scope of our history, including both the triumphs and the struggles that helped define Canada, and help us reflect on how to build a more inclusive society for present and future generations.
Born in 1908, Catherwood spent her childhood in Scott, Saskatchewan. It was in Scott where she honed her versatile athletic skills in many sports, most notably track and field. Her father even built a high-jumping pit in their backyard to support her passion. Throughout her teen years, Catherwood trained hard and excelled in high jump and javelin throw at competitions, breaking national and world records.
Thanks to the efforts of women's sporting organizations, the International Olympic Committee reluctantly agreed to include five women's track and field events at the 1928 Olympic Games on a trial basis. The future of women in the Olympic Games rested on the women's athletic performances. Catherwood made the Canadian Olympic track and field team with Jane Bell, Myrtle Cook, Bobbie Rosenfeld, Ethel Smith, and Jean Thompson who together became known as the Matchless Six. Catherwood won gold in the high jump and is the only Canadian woman to have won gold in an Olympic individual track and field event during the 20th century and the first quarter of the 21st century.
After returning from the Games, Catherwood won titles in the high jump and javelin throw in 1930 before retiring from sports. It is well documented that she sought to lead a more private life. Sportswriters described her high-jumping athleticism, yet, given intense sexism in sports, focused on her beauty and judged her personal life, which were some of the reasons why she retreated from public life.
The Government of Canada, through the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, recognizes significant persons, places, and events that have shaped Canada. Sharing these stories helps foster understanding and reflection on the diverse histories, cultures, legacies, and realities of Canada's past and present.
