McGILL SPORTS HALL OF FAME PROFILE: Olympic rower Doug Vandor

By: Earl Zukerman

Kevin Light Photography

Doug Vandor (CREDIT: KEVIN LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY)

Men's Rowing | 6/20/2018 12:01:00 AM

MONTREAL – Each Wednesday for a six-week period beginning in mid-June, we will profile one of our 2018 inductees to the McGill Sports Hall of Fame. This week, meet Doug Vandor, a three-time Olympic rower, from Dewittville, Que.

Born Douglas Joseph Vandor on Aug. 25, 1974 in Montreal, he went on to attend Ecole Notre Dame du Rosaire elementary school in Ormstown, Que., and Chateauguay Valley Regional high school before graduating from McGill in 1998 with a science degree in physiology, followed four years later by a master's degree in experimental surgery.

The 5-foot-11, 154-pound rower competed three seasons for McGill, starting in a novice boat at age 22 but despite his body size, he quickly moved up to the heavyweight eight the following year. Sitting in the stroke seat, Vandor was named team MVP in 1998, helping his crew go undefeated until the win streak ended when he was knocked off his bike by a car on the way home from the rowing basin. He underwent shoulder surgery and the accident forced him to miss the OUA championships, where his heavy eights crew finished second. He qualified twice in three years -- in 1997 and 1998 -- for the heavy fours at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston. In 1997, he qualified for the Canadian University Rowing Association championships in Victoria, B.C., winning silver from the bow seat in the heavy eight.

Vandor rowed a dozen seasons for the Canadian national team, from 2001 to 2012, including three Olympics. A spare at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, he competed in two races at the 2008 Games in Beijing where his participation with the lightweight double sculls was cut short by a viral infection. At the 2012 Games in London, he finished second in the C final (14th overall) in the lightweight double sculls.

Vandor competed at 10 world championships, where he collected three bronze medals. He also raced in 12 World Cup regattas, winning a pair of golds, four silvers and two bronze medals.

In 2011, the McGill rowing club christened a new boat in his honour, naming it "The Doug Vandor".

After retiring from his competitive rowing career in 2013, Vandor wrote a touching insight for CBC Sports about the challenge of transitioning from competitive sports to the real world. He now resides in Vancouver, B.C.

The 23rd annual induction luncheon will kick-off the University's 2018 Homecoming Week celebrations on Thursday, Oct. 11. About 200 tickets will be available for the ceremony, scheduled to be held at the Windsor Ballroom on Peel Street. Tickets are $80 and can be reserved online in August or by contacting the McGill Alumni Association at 514-398-8288.

Other 2018 laureates for the McGill Sports Hall of Fame include soccer All-Canadians Danielle Day from Ile-Bizard, Que., and Dr. Adam Mar of Pte. Claire, Que., along with hockey all-stars Shauna Denis of Stittsville, Ont., and David Urquhart of Thorold, Ont. Inducted in the team category will be the 2007-08 McGill Martlets hockey squad, which became the first McGill women's team to win a CIS national championship.

Profiles of each new inductee will be posted online at www.mcgillathletics.ca each Wednesday from mid-June to mid-July. Biographies of all previous inductees to the McGill Sports Hall of Fame are available online at http://www.mcgillathletics.ca/hof.aspx

Submissions for next year's induction can be made by completing an online nomination at the above website link and submitting it by March 1, 2019.

SOURCE:

Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
@EarlZukerman (twitter)

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McGILL SPORTS HALL OF FAME PROFILE: Olympic rower Doug Vandor