Joanne Berdan

Joanne Berdan (née Bouw; born May 1, 1963) is a Canadian medallist in Paralympic athletics. During her Paralympic career, Berdan won a total of 10 Paralympic medals. She was inducted into both the Canadian Paralympic Committee Hall of Fame and Canadian Disability Hall of Fame in 2003.

Early life and education Berdan was born on May 1, 1963, in St. Catharines, Ontario. She completed her post-secondary studies at the University of Toronto in 1986.

Career Berdan won her first Paralympic medals at the 1984 Summer Paralympics. She won a gold in shot put and javelin alongside a bronze in discus and long jump. At the following Paralympics, Berdan was gold in the discus, javelin and shot put events during the 1988 Summer Paralympics. Her final Paralympic medals were at the 1992 Summer Paralympics where she repeated her three golds medals from the previous Paralympics.

Awards and honours In 2002, Berdan was awarded the Golden Jubilee Medal. The following year, Berdan was inducted into the Canadian Paralympic Committee Hall of Fame and the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame. Other hall of fame inductions include the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association Hall of Fame in 2005 and the University of Toronto Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.

Personal life Berdan is married and has one child.