Hamilton-born swimmer Patty Thompson emerged as a force in Canadian swimming during the 1960s. She represented Canada at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics in freestyle events and won silver and bronze medals at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. As a professional marathon swimmer, she won several international titles and was named World Women’s Professional Marathon Swimming Champion in 1969. Patty is the daughter of Jimmy Thompson (Class of 2010), making them the first-ever father-daughter duo inducted into the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame.
In 1991, at age 45, Thompson swam across Lake Ontario in 19 hours and 18 minutes, becoming the oldest woman at the time to complete the feat. Throughout her career, she won nine Canadian championships and set multiple national records in long-distance events. She was inducted into both the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame and the Ontario Aquatic Hall of Fame, and served as an influential coach and advocate for women’s sports and open-water swimming.