Julia Rivard

Biography

Julia Rivard is a Canadian sprint kayaker who competed in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Rivard and her teammates finished ninth in the K-4 500m event at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. She has since become an entrepreneur in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and has held a number of positions in Canadian Olympic sport and in the arts and culture community. 

Born and raised in North Bay, Ontario, Rivard was a successful multi-sport athlete, especially as an alpine skier and swimmer. At one time she was ranked in the top-ten in Canada in the 200m backstroke and 800m freestyle. She started her kayak career at the relatively late age of 19 and moved to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia shortly afterward to pursue her training. She was a member of the national kayak team for three years.

Rivard’s career highlights include a fourth-place finish in the K-4 500m at the 1998 World Championships in Szeged, Hungary. During the 2000 World Cup season she and her teammates won a pair of bronze medals before concluding her competitive career at Sydney 2000. 

Rivard is a member of the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame and was the 2000 North Bay Female Athlete of the year. In February 2013, Rivard was one of 41 Canadian Olympic builders honoured with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. These individuals were selected for their contributions “working tirelessly behind the scenes to advance sport excellence in Canada.”