Victoria Poon, Gold medallist

Elite swimmer Victoria Poon is a native of Hong Kong and resident of LaSalle. She bagged the gold medal during the 50-meter free swim of the eastern Canadian swimming championship held at the Etobicoke Olympium, in Ontario.

This 6 feet 1 swimmer stays focused on her goal of participating in the Olympic Games in Beijing, China. A management student at McGill University, she trains in the pool of the Montreal Olympic Park with swim coach Benoit Lebrun. Her swimming career began while she was at a summer camp. After that she didn’t need anything else to develop her love for the sport and her passion for competing. Aside from swimming, she enjoys playing basketball; other times she allows herself some moments of solitude as she listens to music. She speaks English, French and Chinese fluently.

In 2006, Poon earned herself a spot in the Canadian team and participated in her first international competition – the Commonwealth Games. She took part in the Melbourne games in Australia where she helped her team win the bronze medal for the 400 meter free swim competition. Her team landed fourth place at the 50-meter free swim with an exceptional record of 25.65.

The participation of Victoria Poon proved to be a boost in the 2006 Pan-Pacific championships in Victoria, British Columbia. She was a member of the all-women quartet for the 4 X 100-meter free relay swim, and her team won the silver medal. This victory established a national record of 3:41:83.