Native Olympian proves dreams can come true

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Manitoba Native Angela Chalmers started running competitively at the age of eight and has never looked back.

Twenty years later, during the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, she became part of sports history as the third fastest woman on the planet in the 3,000 metre run.

It was a way of proving to Native children throughout Canada that dreams really do come true, Chalmers said after accepting the Bronze medal. She added her name to the list of 18 Canadians to win medals at this year's games.

Chalmers considered herself a role model to young Natives to "show them they can achieve what they set out to do."

In the last lap of the 3,000 metre final, Chalmers was bumped by an opponent after bolting through the pack of sprinters. But she was unable to push past the second and first place finishers, both of them from the Unified Team.

No hard feelings, said Chalmers, the first Native Canadian to participate in the Summer Olympic Games since Quebec Mohawk Alwyn Morris competed in the canoeing event in the 1984 games in Los Angeles.

Chalmers came in 8:47.22, just behind Tatiana Dorovskikh at 8:46.85 and gold medalist Elena Romanov at 8:46.04.

She failed to qualify in the 1,500 metre run, an event she won two years ago in the Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand.

Chalmers, 28, has spent her career expressing her Native pride the best way she knows how - by matching her speed with the top runners in her class and winning in the process.

Chalmers has been frequently quoted as saying she believes there are many other means of promoting Native achievement besides protests and aggression. She's always maintained that Natives can be recognized if they excel at the things they do best.

"I do get involved," she insisted during the medal presentation at Barcelona's Olympic pavilion.

Throughout her high-profile career as a world class distance runner, she's attempted to inspire young athletes to stay away from alcohol and drugs. And though recent bouts with injuries and a demanding scheduling have kept her from touring Native communities, she still tries to encourage children to become better educated and lead healthier lifestyles.

"This year I wasn't able to do much because my time was used to train, but I hope to do more," she said.

After the Summer Games, which ended Aug. 9., Chalmers began touring Europe to complete in other world championships before returning to Victoria, B.C. to complete her science degree at the university there.

For her mother Betty, it has become just one more triumph for her daughter.

"Angela has been a runner and a winner all her life. She works hard for everything she gets," and said from her home on the Bird Tail Sioux reserve near Brandon, Man.

"She's always been athletic, but never went in for team sports. She never wanted to blame anyone else for losing, but she wanted the credit for winning," she said.

Betty has six sons and three daughters, "all of them athletes. They're stars in their own right," she said.

Chalmers attended the University of Arizona on a full track and field scholarship before leaving to compete internationally three years ago. Betty said she plans to complete her Bachelor of Sciences degree at Victoria.

"Manitoba isn't a high-profile area for running," she laughs.

Angela was able to finish school at Neeland High School, 200 kilometres from

the reserve, Betty said. Her husband is from British Columbia and was in the Canadian Armed Forces, so the family moved several times between Victoria and Manitoba.

Betty said her daughter has her sights set on becoming a dietician - and of course winning a Gold in the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia.