Carol Huynh
Wrestling Athlete - Inducted 2014
Carol Huynh moved to Alberta in 2006. In Beijing in 2008, she made history by becoming the first Canadian woman to win Olympic gold in wrestling. She was on the podium once again when she won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London. Carol is an 11-time national champion, two-time Pan-American Games gold medalist and a Commonwealth Games gold medalist. Carol was one of five representatives for the International Federation of Associated Wrestling (FILA) that successfully met with the IOC to have wrestling reinstated back into the Olympics after it was dropped in 2013.
Carol wrestled with the University of Calgary Wrestling Club after moving to Alberta and her international career continued to soar. She had arrived having already won two World Championship medals, bronze in 2000 and silver in 2001, and the World University Games Championship in 2005 when she was with Simon Fraser University.
Carol competed at the 2007 Senior National Championships and won the 1st seed spot for the upcoming Olympic Trials. With the national team, she competed at her first Pan-American games and won gold. She then competed at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, and secured Canada a berth at the Beijing Olympic Summer Games with her top-10 finish. She won at the Olympic Trials, securing her spot on the 2008 Canadian Olympic team. Her victory at the Beijing Olympics was the second wrestling gold medal ever won by a Canadian.
After a year off the mats, Carol made her comeback in 2010, securing a World team spot. She won the National Championships and a bronze medal at the 2010 World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. She secured a berth at the 2012 London Olympic games by placing in the top-10 at the 2011 World Championships.
Carol Huynh was inducted into the FILA Hall of Fame in 2013 in Budapest, Hungary. She was also appointed to the FILA Athlete's Bureau, becoming only the third woman to serve on the board.
Carol's dedication to the sport at the grass-roots level, and to wrestling in Alberta and Canada continued. She became the co-head coach of Calgary's Junior Dino Wrestling Club and assistant coach to the Senior Dinos and Varsity Wrestling Club. She was confident and capable as a competitor; and, gracious, courteous and humble as a person. She represents everything that is good in sport.
After Induction
2016 - Carol was named Assistant Chef de Mission for Team Canada at the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio.
2017 - Carol was hired as the Wrestling Canada Next Gen Institute Program Coach
2017 - Inducted to the Canada Sports Hall of Fame
