Myriam Da Silva

Biography

Just a few months after she joined the national team, Myriam Da Silva won 69kg gold at the 2012 Americas Continental Championships in Cornwall, Ontario. Later that year, she made her debut at the AIBA World Championships. In 2014, she was a silver medallist at the continental championships and made her second world championship appearance.  

In 2015, Da Silva underwent surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome in her right hand. The next year, she broke her thumb in that same hand. She dropped in the world rankings and was unable to compete at the world championships. After rehab, she finished second at the Canadian Championships and was not selected for the 2018 Commonwealth Games team. 

Da Silva did regain her national title in 2018 and made the quarterfinals for the first time at the world championships. She was selected to compete in her first international multi-sport competition, the Lima 2019 Pan Am Games, where she won the 69kg silver medal. In her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, Da Silva was eliminated in the Round of 16.  

A Little More About Myriam

Getting into the Sport: Played soccer for most of her childhood, but her dream of making the national women’s team could not come true due to injuries… Took up boxing in university as a means of keeping fit… Made her in-ring debut six months after signing up for competitive training at age 23… Was attracted to the sport’s intensity… Outside Interests: Has a bachelor’s degree in special education from UQAM… Teaches full time around her boxing schedule… Dedicates her free time to helping kids and people with special needs, whether that be helping with homework or introducing them to sports… Odds and Ends: Tries to bring home something stereotypical from each country she competes in, usually a snack food she can enjoy later… Was given the nickname Godzilla because of her intense facial expression in the ring… Favourite quotes: “It is not our goals that unite us but our pursuit of achieving them”/ “If you’re always trying to be normal you will never know how amazing you can be” -Maya Angelou…