Donovan_Tildesley
Donovan Tildesley
Canadian Paralympic swimmer
Donovan Tildesley (born July 24, 1984) is a retired blind Canadian swimmer. He was the flag bearer of Canada at the 2008 Paralympic Games.[1]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Big D |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Born | (1984-07-24) July 24, 1984 (age 39) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Height | 166 cm (5.45 ft) |
| Weight | 62 kg (137 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes | Medley Freestyle Butterfly |
| College team | University of British Columbia Dolphins |
He started swimming at the age of nine.[2] Until 2000, he had swum in many provincial and national competitions, setting many Canadian records.[2]
He is the current world record holder for the 800-metre freestyle[3] and the 1500-metre freestyle.[3]
Tildesley graduated from the University of British Columbia in spring 2008 with an English degree[4] Donovan works full-time as an insurance broker for Buntain Insurance Agencies in Vancouver.[5] He also does public speaking and is a co-owner of a small radio station in Whistler, British Columbia.[4] In May 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia, Tildesley advocated for blind British Columbians to be given vaccine priority similar to vulnerable groups with other medical conditions.[5] Donovan is also a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity and is currently contracted with Virgin Cruise Lines as an Accessibility Consultant.
- "Paralympics open in Beijing". CBC News. Sympatico. 2008-09-06. Retrieved 2008-09-06. [dead link]
- Tildesley, Donovan. "Biography-Donovan Tildesley" (PDF). Yellowknife Polar Bear Swim Club. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) [dead link] - "Canadian Paralympic Committee congratulates four-time Paralympic swimmer Donovan Tildesley on retirement". Newswire.ca. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
- Lin, Brian (2008-09-04). "Tap and Rope Guide Swimmer to Victory". University of British Columbia. Archived from the original on 2011-05-21. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
- Tildesley, Donovan (May 6, 2021). "Vaccine must be prioritized for legally blind British Columbians". The Squamish Reporter. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
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