Bedard to receive an Olympic Order

June 19, 2001
CBS Sports Online

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP-CP) -- Canadian Myriam Bedard, who won two Olympic gold medals and a bronze in the biathlon, is among 10 athletes who receive an Olympic Order for their achievements. The International Olympic Committee will present the awards Saturday to coincide with Olympic Day.

Bedard, a native of L'Ancienne-Lorette, Que., won a bronze during the 1992 Games at Albertville, France and two golds in the '94 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.

Other awards will go to Australian runner Cathy Freeman and Ethiopian long-distance star Hailie Gebrselassie, David Douillet of France (two golds in judo in '96 and 2000, swimmer Kristina Egerszegi of Hungary whose achievements included five gold medals between 1988 and 1996, and Russian wrestler Alexander Karelin for three golds in 1988, 1992 and 1996 silver in 2000. Marco Marin, the Italian fencer, was cited for his gold, two silvers and one bronze in 1984 and 1988, Turkish weightlifter Naim Suleymanoglu -- dubbed the "Pocket Hercules" -- for three golds, Swiss skiing ace Pirmin Zurbriggen for gold and bronze in the downhill and giant slalom in 1988, and Japanese ski jumper Kazuyoshi Funaki, for two golds and one silver in 1998.

The Olympic order is given to those who have achieved "remarkable merit in the sports world, or have rendered outstanding services to the Olympic cause, either through personal achievement or to the development of sport."

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