Monica Pinette

Monica Pinette (born February 5, 1977) is a two-time Olympic modern pentathlete from Canada. She is one of the first female Canadian modern pentathletes, and the only indigenous athlete of (Métis) to compete at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Her 13th-place finish overall at the 2004 Summer Olympics was Canada's best recorded performance in the modern pentathlon to date.

Early life and career Pinette was born in the city of Vancouver and grew up in Langley, British Columbia. She has participated in modern pentathlon at local clubs for swimming, shooting, fencing, and horse-riding.

Pinette graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, and earned a diploma in Journalism and Photojournalism from the Western Academy of Photography. She was coached by her husband Philipp Waeffler, 1996 Olympic modern pentathlete from Switzerland.

Pinette has described the dynamic of having her husband and coach be the same person as having "Two Philipps," mentioning her process of separating the roles of husband and coach in order to avoid getting frustrated. In 2009, Monica Pinette received the British Columbia Premier's Award. She received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, now known as the Indspire Awards in the sport category in 2010. She said she was surprised to win the award given that pentathlon is a small sport that often has little media coverage or attention.

Competitive career She made her international debut at the 2002 and 2003 World Championships and eventually competed at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where she finished seventh.