Stephanie Horner

Stephanie Horner (born March 19, 1989) was a competition swimmer from Canada who swam for the University of Victoria and represented Canada in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympics. She is a butterfly and freestyle specialist who won four medals in the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro and in 2015 began specializing in open water distance events.

Early life and swimming Horner was born March 19, 1989, in Bathurst, New Brunswick (CAN) to Danielle Felx and Emil Horner, the oldest of three siblings, though the family later moved to Beaconsville, Quebec when Stephanie was in elementary school. Stephanie began as a competitive summer swimmer at the age of nine at the Beaurepaire summer pool in 1998, but soon started as a year-round swimming competitor with the Beaconsville Bluefins, an accomplished program under Coach Russ Franklin where she excelled in competition early, and soon distinguished herself as a potential champion. Franklin mentored several future Olympians with the Bluefins, where he would continue to coach through 2011. Stephanie would continue to swim with the Bluefins when returning to Beaconsville in the summers throughout her High School swimming career. In her early years of competition, she initially enjoyed butterfly for the challenge it presented, but would soon transition to the Individual Medley as her more favored event.

Queen of Angels Academy By age 12 she attended Queen of Angels Academy in Montreal where she swam six days a week in morning and evening two hour sessions. While attending Queen of Angels in the Spring of 2004, Stephanie swam a Quebec Provincial record time of 56.67 for the 100-meter freestyle at the Eastern Canadian Short Course Championships, where she won a total of five gold medals. Though her first language was French, she later attended Marianapolis College, a private English speaking preparatory school with strong academics in Montreal, graduating in 2008. At Island swimming, Horner swam primarily at Saanich Commonwealth Place, a premier facility which featured a 25-meter lap pool, a 50-meter competition pool, a large diving well, and an extensive weight room. At Island Swimming, she would develop her skills training with elite Canadian swimmers and several Olympians including Julia Wilkinson, Blake Worsley, Hilary Caldwell, and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Ryan Cochrane.

University of Victoria While swimming for Victoria's Island Swimming Club she attended and swam for the University of Victoria, graduating in 2014. At UVic, Horner received a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Service Management and Entrepreneurship and studied at the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business. Several top University of Victoria swimmers and Olympians, including Hilary Caldwell and Ryan Cochran also swam with the Island Swimming Club at the Saanich Commonwealth Pool, which was affiliated with the University and was just two miles from the University's campus.

2008-2016 Olympics At 19 and just beginning her time at the University of Victoria, Horner competed for her native country at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, placing 17th in the Women's 200 metres Freestyle, 11th in the Women's 400 metres Freestyle, 10th in the Women's 4x200 metre freestyle Relay, and 20th in the Women's 200 metre butterfly.

In 2016, she was officially named to Canada's Olympic team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in the 10K open water swim event, where she placed 23rd with a time of 1:59.22.1 The event was held August 16, 2016 at the Southern end of Rio's Copacabana Beach.

International competition highlights Horner made the 2011 Canadian World Championships team, qualifying in the 400-metre individual medley event at the 14th FINA World Championships in Shanghai, China, finishing 17 overall in the 400 Individual Medley.

In April 2017, Horner was named to Canada's 2017 World Aquatics Championships team in Budapest, Hungary.

Horner placed eighth at the August, 2018 Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo in the 10-km open water race. In 2018, Horner was named Swimming Canada's Female Open Water Swimmer of the Year.