Kara Grant is a two-time Canadian Olympian in the sport of modern pentathlon. Kara grew up in the small community of Stratford, Prince Edward Island and, although always active, she was never the best player on any team. Through her involvement in horseback riding Kara was introduced to pentathlon at the age of 16. Intrigued by the challenge and the variety of the five disciplines (shooting, fencing, swimming, riding and running) she decided to give it a try. Kara joined the local fencing club and the next stage of her journey began.

Knowing that time was of the essence and seeing the opportunity for what it was, Kara travelled to Vernon, BC only days after her high school graduation to compete in the Junior National Modern Pentathlon Championships. Not only did Kara make some lifelong friends that weekend, but she also won the Junior National Title! With a short gap in scores to the top senior athletes, Kara quickly realized her enormous potential in the sport of pentathlon. A year later it was announced that the Women’s Modern Pentathlon had been included in the Olympic program for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Every child has seen the Olympic greats on TV and been inspired by their strength, determination, and perseverance. Kara immediately set her sights on the Olympic Games. Although not the fastest runner or swimmer, nor the best shooter, fencer or rider, Kara was a good all around athlete with the mental strength to work harder and longer than many others and the stubbornness required to never give up!

Long hours of training, planning and consultation with various experts in the five sports ensued. It soon became clear that Kara would be a force to be reckoned with on the Senior Stage and by 1999 Kara confirmed this by earning a place on the 1999 Pan American Games Team and bringing home a Bronze Medal. To this day, one of Kara’s most cherished memories is competing and winning a medal on Canadian soil at this major Games.

It would be another 5 tough years of training and competition before Kara was able to breakthrough on the International scene and qualify for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where she placed 22nd. This experience served only to motivate Kara to train harder and to use all the skills she had learned over the years, in order to improve her performance in each of the 5 disciplines for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Kara had some of her best performances in 2008 including a bronze medal at the Mexico City World Cup.

Representing PEI and Canada has always been a great source of pride for Kara and competing in the Olympic Games were some of her greatest life experiences. The journey Kara lived while pursuing her Olympic Dream was worth every trial and all the hard work, many times over. Ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things.

“I’m proud of my accomplishments, and proud of the personal journey I’ve made during the pursuit of my Olympic Quest. I want to inspire other people to follow their dreams and to strive for the highest standards in every aspect of their lives. “ Kara Grant

Click here to read about Kara’s Motivational and Keynotes Speaking (link to Keynotes Speaker section)