Monica Pinette

Monica Pinette (born February 5, 1977) is a two-time Olympic modern pentathlete from Canada. She merely described herself as a "true trailblazer" for her demanding sport, being one of the first female Canadian modern pentathletes, and the only athlete of an aboriginal descent (Metis) to compete at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Pinette started out her sporting career as a member of the Pony Club in Vancouver at the age of twenty, and has excelled in modern pentathlon through her participation in different local clubs for swimming, shooting, fencing, and horse-riding (which was arguably her strongest discipline). She made her international debut at the 2002 and 2003 World Championships, and eventually competed at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where she finished seventh. Following her well-accomplished results, Pinette qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, along with her compatriot Kara Grant, and made their national debut in the women's event. With her strongest performance in the fencing segment, Pinette finished successfully in thirteenth place, the highest position being achieved by a Canadian modern pentathlete, male or female, in Olympic history. Pinette continued to accomplish a fourth-place finish for the team relay at the 2006 World Modern Pentathlon Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and also, her first medal by winning gold at the Pan American Championships in the same year. She also added her silver medal at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, automatically received her qualifying berth for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. At the Olympics, Pinette finished in a disheartening twenty-seventh place, following her poor performance in the last three sporting segments. Pinette graduated from the University of Victoria with the bachelor of arts degree in English, and earned a Diploma in Journalism and Photojournalism from the Western Academy of Photography. She is also previously coached by her husband Philipp Waeffler, 1996 Olympic modern pentathlete from Switzerland. She received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, now known as the Indspire Awards in the sport category in 2010.