The Honourable Marnie McBean OC MSM
Canadian Senator from Ontario
Incumbent
Assumed office December 20, 2023
Nominated by	Justin Trudeau
Appointed by	Mary Simon
Personal details
Born	Marnie Elizabeth McBean (1968-01-28) January 28, 1968 (age 56) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Political party	Non-affiliated
Spouse	Deanah Shelly ​ (m. 2014)​
Sports career
Country	Canada
Sport	Women's rowing
Medal record Women's rowing Representing  Canada Olympic Games Olympic Games 1992 Barcelona Coxless pair 1992 Barcelona Eight 1996 Atlanta Double sculls 1996 Atlanta Quadruple sculls World Rowing Championships 1991 Vienna Coxless pair 1991 Vienna Eight 1995 Tampere Double sculls 1993 Račice Single sculls 1994 Indianapolis Double sculls 1995 Tampere Quadruple sculls 1998 Cologne Coxless four 1998 Cologne Eight World Rowing Junior Championships 1986 Račice Coxless pair Pan American Games 1995 Mar del Plata Double sculls 1999 Winnipeg Single sculls Summer Universiade 1993 Buffalo Coxless four 1989 Duisburg Coxless four 1993 Buffalo Single sculls

Marnie Elizabeth McBean, OC MSM (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian former rower. She is a three-time Olympic gold medallist. In 2023, she was appointed to the Senate of Canada.^[1]

Rowing career

A graduate of the University of Western Ontario, McBean competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in the coxless pairs and eights events, winning gold medals in both. At the 1996 Summer Olympics she competed in the double and quadruple sculls, winning gold in the double and bronze in the quadruple.^[2] With her long-time rowing partner Kathleen Heddle, she was the first Canadians to win three Olympic Gold medals.^{[3][citation needed]} In addition to her other exploits, McBean won a Silver medal in the prestigious single scull event at the 1993 World Rowing Championships.^{[4][citation needed]}

At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, McBean was set to represent Canada in the single scull and she had hoped to win a fourth gold medal. After travelling to Australia, a back injury which eventually required an operation forced McBean to withdraw from the Olympics and McBean decided to retire from international competition.^[5][6]

Accolades and personal life

In 1997, McBean was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. In 2002, McBean was awarded the Thomas Keller Medal by FISA, the International Rowing Federation, for her outstanding career in international rowing.^[7] In 1997, she was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (civil division).^[8] In 2013, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.^[9] She has been appointed as chef de mission of Canada's team at the 2020 Olympic Games, to be held in Tokyo.^[10]

After retiring from active competition, McBean began coming out as lesbian in her personal life.^[11] She met her partner Deanah Shelly in 2010,^[11] and the couple married in April 2014. They have a daughter named Isabel.^[10][11]

In 2015, McBean was presented the Bonham Centre Award from The Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, University of Toronto, for her contributions to the advancement and education of issues around sexual identification.^[12]