UVic Sports Hall of Fame
CATEGORY: Athlete
UVic swimming Michael Edgson trained and competed with the Vikes against other able-bodied swimmers, while experiencing a prolific career as a star Paralympian in the pool. Edgson is the most decorated Paralympic athlete in Canadian history. As a long-time Canadian competitor Edgson has collected 21 Olympic medals including winning a Canadian-best 18 gold medals and setting nine world records over three Paralympic Games (1984, ‘88, ‘92).
Edgson’s first international exposure was in the 1984 Games for the Disabled, hosted in New York, the precursor to the Paralympic Games, where he eventually went on to set four new world records and win four gold and two silver medals in individual events.
Edgson joined the Vikes in 1987, where he performed at the highest of standards both in the pool and academically. In 1988, Edgson competed in the Seoul Olympics, earning nine gold medals and setting four world records. In the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, Edgson won four gold and a silver medal and was later named a finalist for the Canadian Male Athlete of the Year award.
UVic Achievements
- 1987, 89, 90, 91 Competed for the UVic Vikes swim team
International Achievements
- One of the most decorated Paralympic athletes in Canada
- Won 18 gold and three silver career medals
- 1984, 1988, 1992 Set nine World records in three Paralympic Games
- 1986 World Championships for the Physically Disabled at Gothenburg, Sweden
- 1990 World Championships for the Physically Disabled at Assen, Netherlands
Award Achievements
- 1984, 1988, 1990 BC Disabled Athlete of the Year recipient
- 1992 Canadian Athlete of the Year finalist
- 2009 First Paralympic simmer to be inducted into Swimming Canada's Circle of Excellence
- Key component of the Victoria Commonwealth Games Society responsible for swimming at the Games
- Currently Director of the Canadian Paralympic Committee
Hall of Fame
- Inducted into the Nanaimo Sports Hall of Fame 2009
- Inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame 2012
- Inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame 2013
- Inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame in 2015
