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.[1][2] She was a member of the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Canadian Olympic Rowing teams.[3] In 2012, she won her first Olympic medal, a silver, in the Women's Eight. Her team was beaten by Team USA by just 1.4 seconds.

This article is about the rower and naturopathic doctor. For the skateboarder, see Rachelle Vinberg.

Rachelle Viinberg
Personal information
Born (1979-04-30) April 30, 1979
Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) (2012)
Weight160 lb (73 kg) (2012)
Websitewww.drviinberg.com
Sport
Country Canada
Retired2012
Medal record
Women's rowing
Representing  Canada
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2012 London Women's eights
World Rowing Championships
Silver medal – second place 2002 Seville W4-
Silver medal – second place 2010 Karapiro W8+
Silver medal – second place 2011 Lake Bled W8+

Early life

Viinberg was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia, 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 December 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. In school, Viinberg pursued swimming after seeing Calgary Olympian Mark Tewksbury win the 100-metre backstroke at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. After undergoing a growth spurt in her adolescence, her parents 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.[4]

Olympics

In 2004, Viinberg made her first Olympic team, where she competed at the Athens Olympic Games. 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 achieved an eighth-place finish.

Personal life

After becoming engaged on the Great Wall of China after the 2008 Olympic Games, Viinberg married her husband Alex Viinberg in 2009.[5]

In 2009, Viinberg's father died from leukemia. Eighteen months later, her mother was diagnosed with stage 3C colon cancer. When asked about her at the 2012 Olympic Games, Viinberg said, "She battled stage three colon cancer so she could be in the stands to watch me perform my dream. We both achieved our goals."[6]

Key results
  • 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

References
  1. Rachelle Viinberg at World Rowing
  2. "Canada - Rachelle Viinberge". Olympics.com. March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  3. AANMC (July 4, 2020). "The Connection Between Sports Medicine & Naturopathic Medicine". AANMC. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  4. "Rowing for redemption: Rachelle Viinberg's Olympic appearances total three in row". Metro News.
  5. Vanstone, Rob (August 3, 2012). "Viinberg deserves this Olympic silver". Saskatoon StarPhoenix. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  6. "Rachelle Viinberg first Saskatchewan athlete to medal at London Games". Metro News.
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