Rachelle Viinberg

Rachelle Viinberg (née De Jong, born April 30, 1979) is a retired Canadian Olympic rower and naturopathic doctor who currently resides in Toronto, Ontario. She was a member of the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Canadian Olympic Rowing teams. In 2012 she won her first Olympic medal in the Women’s Eight, where they were second to Team USA by 1.4 seconds.

Viinberg was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia, located on Vancouver Island. She has an older brother named Simon. Her mother, June de Jong (née Mayhew) is an actress. Her father, Hielke de Jong, who died Dec. 7, 2009, was a retired government employee. Viinberg’s ancestry includes Dutch, English, and Ukrainian.

At the age of eight, Viinberg and her family moved to Regina, Saskatchewan. She attended Argyle Elementary school and graduated from Sheldon Williams Collegiate in 1997. Viinberg wasn’t always a rower. From the moment she saw Calgary Olympian Mark Tewksbury win the 100-metre backstroke at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, she aspired to be a swimmer. Once adolescence hit at 13, however, Viinberg underwent a massive growth spurt, preventing her from pursuing the sport much further.

Ultimately, it was Viinberg’s parents who introduced her to rowing. “They helped me discover rowing after seeing all the rowers train every morning on Wascana Lake when they drove to work. I thought I had nothing to lose, and my 6’0 frame seemed to be the ideal body type,” said Viinberg.

In 2004 Viinberg made her first Olympic team in Athens, Greece. In 2008 Viinberg was selected to compete in the Women’s Quad at the Beijing Olympic Games. When one of the members of the crew was suffering with a rib fracture, the team did their best with an eighth-place finish. Viinberg retired from rowing after this final race to pursue her career as a naturopathic doctor.

Viinberg married her husband, Alex, in 2009 after meeting in 2005. He proposed on the Great Wall of China after the 2008 Olympic Games. She attributes much of her success to his support.

In 2009 Viinberg’s father died from Leukemia. Eighteen months later, her mother was diagnosed with Stage 3C colon cancer. When asked about her mom after the race, she replied, "She battled stage three colon cancer so she could be in the stands to watch me perform my dream. We both achieved our goals."

• 2012 – 2nd in the W8+, Olympic Games, London, GBR
• 2012- 1st in the W8+, World Cup, Munich, Germany
• 2012- 2nd in the W8+, World Cup, Lucerne, Switzerland
• 2011- 2nd in the W8+, World Championship, Bled, Slovenia
• 2011 – 2nd in the W8+, World Cup, Lucerne, Switzerland
• 2010 – 2nd in the W8+, World Rowing Championships, New Zealand
• 2008 – 8th in the Olympic quad, Beijing, China
• 2007 – 5th in the W4x, World Championships, Munich, Germany
• 2006 – 7th in the W4x, World Championships, Eton, England
• 2004 – Alternate on Olympic team in Athens, Greece
• 2003 – 4th in the W4-, World Championships, Milan, Italy
• 2002 – 2nd in the W4-, World Championships, Seville, Spain
• 2002 – 6th in the W8+, World Championships, Seville, Spain
• 2002 – 4th in the W8+, World Cup, Munich, Germany
• 2001 – 2nd in the W2-, US Nationals, Camden, New Jersey
• 2000 – 1st in the W8+, Women's Henley, Henley-on-Thames, England
• 2000 – 2nd in the W8+, Henley Royal Regatta, Henley-on-Thames, England
• 1997 – 1st in the W4- and 2nd in the W8+, Jeux Canada Games, Brandon, Manitoba