Michael Forgeron

Biography

When rower Michael Forgeron made his Olympic debut at Barcelona 1992, he was not a two-time World Championship eights silver medalist (1990, 1991) like the rest of his crew. But in the Olympic eights final Forgeron and the Canadian boat edged ahead at the half-way mark and held on to win by less than a foot over Romania in the closest rowing final in Olympic history – 0.14 seconds. Alongside Forgeron was Darren Barber, Andy Crosby, Robert Marland, Derek Porter, Michael Rascher, Bruce Robertson, John Wallace and coxswain Terry Paul. When Forgeron arrived home to Cape Breton after Barcelona 1992, he was greeted by a mile-long parade from the airport through Louisburg to Main-a-Dieu. By the time Atlanta 1996 rolled around, Forgeron was competing in double sculls finishing seventh with partner Todd Hallett.

After his Olympic victory, Forgeron switched boats to row in the coxless fours where he finished fourth at the 1993 and seventh at the 1994 World Championships. He captured a bronze medal in the coxless fours at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. Another boat switch brought Forgeron to the double sculls where he finished eighth at the 1985 World Championships. He retired from rowing after Atlanta 1996.

Born and raised in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Forgeron graduated from Riverview Rural High School in Coxheath in 1984 and from the University of Western Ontario in 1988. Settling in Mississauga, Ontario, Forgeron pursued a career in sales, married teacher Kim and had a daughter Hanna.

Forgeron has been inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1994, Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 and Canadian Rowing Hall of Fame in 2017.