Monica Pinette
Monica Pinette is a two-time Olympic modern pentathlete from Canada. She was among the early group of Canadian women to compete internationally in modern pentathlon and was the only Métis athlete to compete in the modern pentathlon 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. Pinette began her sporting career as a member of the Pony Club in Vancouver. She took up the pentathlon at age 21. She trained in modern pentathlon through local clubs specializing in swimming, shooting, fencing, and horse riding. Pinette is left-handed, a relatively uncommon trait in competitive fencing.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 stated that working with her husband as her coach required maintaining a clear distinction between their personal and professional roles. 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 stated that the award was unexpected, noting the limited media coverage typically given to modern pentathlon.
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. Following this Pinette qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, along with her compatriot Kara Grant. They made their national debut in the women's event. Following a strong fencing segment, Pinette finished thirteenth overall, the highest position achieved by a modern Canadian pentathlete, male or female, in Olympic history.Pinette continued to earn a fourth-place finish for the team relay at the 2006 World Modern Pentathlon Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and also, her first medal by winning gold at the Pan American Championships in the same year. She also added her silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which qualified her for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. At the Olympics, Pinette finished in twenty-seventh place, following a poor performance in the last three sporting segments.