Carol Huynh

Career

Huynh broke onto the international scene as a wrestler beginning at the World Championships in 2000 where she won bronze. She continued to build on this success at the next World Championships in 2001 where she won silver. She would have to wait four more years till she would medal again at the Worlds when she won a bronze again in 2005. Success never dropped off though, Huynh would win the title in her 48 kg weight class at the 2007 Pan American Games.

She competed in the 48 kg weight class at the 2008 Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal. This broke Canada's gold medal drought at the 2008 Games. She is the second ever female medallist for Canada in Olympic wrestling, after Tonya Verbeek, the 2004 Athens freestyle silver medallist. Huynh was the first gold medallist in women's wrestling for Canada.

Following the Olympic games she continued to perform at a top level, winning bronze at the 2010 World Championships. That same year she won the Commonwealth Games title. There she won a second Olympic medal, this time a bronze in the 48 kg class.

Coaching and leadership

In 2013, after retiring from competitive wrestling and being inducted to the FILA (renamed in 2014 as United World Wrestling) Hall of Fame, she was appointed as a chairwoman to the international wrestling federation. On 8 December 2015, Huynh was named Canada's assistant chef de mission for Rio Olympics. She was awarded the Order of Sport, marking her induction into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. Since 2015 and as of December 2020, Huynh has served as Wrestling Canada's Next Gen coach based out of Calgary.

Personal

Huynh was born in British Columbia to parents who were ethnic Chinese refugees from northern Vietnam. Her father was born in China, but moved to Vietnam when he was three; her mother was born in Vietnam. They settled in the town of New Hazelton, British Columbia, after being sponsored by the local United Church. Coming from a wrestling family, where both of her sisters wrestled, she started wrestling at 15.Cariboo Press, Carol Huynh is going for the gold in wrestling , 11 March 2008 (accessed 17 August 2008) She started studies at Simon Fraser University in 1998, then moved to the University of Calgary in 2007. Huynh married Dan Biggs, a social worker and former wrestler, in 2005. She was coached by Paul Ragusa, former National team member and Olympian, as well as Leigh Vierling, ex-husband of former World Champion Christine Nordhagen.

Competitive record

References

References

1. Christie, James. (16 August 2008). "A three-medal outburst". [[The Globe and Mail]].
2. "Carol Huynh". [[Canadian Olympic Committee]].
3. (23 August 2008). "Roll call: Canada's medal winners". Sympatico MSN.
4. Huynh then won the 2011 Canadian title again for 48 kg and then successfully defended her Pan Am Games title in [[2011 Pan American Games
5. MSN News Canada, [https://archive.today/20130104021718/http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/canadas-carol-huynh-wins-wrestling-bronze "Canada's Carol Huynh wins wrestling bronze"], CBC Sports, 12 August 2012
6. (18 September 2011). "Carol Huynh COC profile".
7. (January 2026). "Wrestling Appoints Third Woman to Governing Body".
8. "Carol Huynh named Canada's assistant chef de mission for Rio Olympics {{!".
9. "Canada's Sports Hall of Fame".
10. link. (26 August 2008 ''[[Vancouver Sun]]''. (accessed 16 August 2008))
11. link. (12 December 2008 ''[[Ottawa Citizen]]''.)
12. Gary Kingston "Carol Huynh: The Hope of Hazelton." ''National Post.'' Saturday, 16 August 2008.
13. Television SRC, ''Pekin 2008'', 15 August 2008 broadcast
14. "Carol Huynh". [[Canadian Olympic Committee]].
15. CBC Television ''Olympic Morning'' 16 August 2008 @ 6:15am EST
16. Vancouver Sun, [http://www.wrestlegirl.com/gnews770.htm Nothing can stop her now] {{Webarchive. link. (8 August 2008 , ''Dan Stinson'', Wednesday, 5 February 2003 (accessed 17 August 2008))
17. Simon Fraser University Athletics news, [http://athletics.sfu.ca/news/olympicseight/ Eight Clan athletes to compete in Beijing] {{Webarchive. link. (21 August 2008 (accessed 17 August 2008))
18. Simon Fraser University Magazine, [https://www.sfu.ca/aq/archives/may2003/mtn.html Our Next World Champion?] {{Webarchive. link. (2 October 2012 May 2003 (accessed 17 August 2008))
19. Canadian Sport News Online [http://www.canadiansport.com/news/news_view_e.cfm?id=22750&search=&show=&month=&year=&search_where= Sport Performance Weekly] (accessed 17 August 2008)
20. [http://www.brocku.ca/athletics/article.php?id=1326 Macari and Verbeek Win 2005 Senior Nationals] 15 May 2005 (accessed 17 August 2008)
21. Canadian Olympic Committee, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070518133435/http://www.olympic.ca/EN/hopefuls/2007/wrestling.html 2007 Pan Am Profiles]
22. TSN ''Sports Centre'' 16 August 2008 – 2:00am EST edition
23. link. (22 August 2008 , 21 September 2007 (accessed 17 August 2008))
24. link. (6 July 2011 ''Shawn Whiteley'' 17 December 2007 (accessed 17 August 2008))
25. CBC Olympics, [https://www.cbc.ca/sports/2.720/olympians-not-in-action-at-canada-cup-1.707657 Olympians not in action at Canada Cup] Tuesday, 5 August 2008 (accessed 17 August 2008)
26. link. (24 January 2016 , Reuters, 17 August 2008)