Curtis "Curt" Melvin Harnett, (born 14 May 1965) is a Canadian

racing cyclist Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cyclin ...

. He began cycling as a way to stay in shape for

hockey Hockey is a term used to denote a family of various types of both summer and winter team sports which originated on either an outdoor field, sheet of ice, or dry floor such as in a gymnasium. While these sports vary in specific rules, numbers o ...

. He competed in four Olympic Games, winning three medals, one silver and two bronze. Harnett also has three medals from the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 British Empire Game ...

and three medals from the

Pan American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is hel ...

. He held the world record for the 200 metre time trial for 11 years, bested in 2006 by Dutchman

Theo Bos Theo Bos (born 22 August 1983) is a Dutch former professional road and track cyclist. An Olympic silver medalist and five-time world champion, he is the brother of Olympic medalist in speed skating Jan Bos. On 29 November 2021, he announced h ...

. After retiring from cycling in 1996, he attended the Sydney and Athens Olympic Games as a commentator for CBC Sports. He was inducted into

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canad ...

in 2005. Harnett was introduced into the Lehigh Valley Velodrome Cycling Hall of Fame. He was the

chef de mission In diplomatic usage, head of mission (HOM) or chief of mission (COM) from the French "chef de mission diplomatique" (CMD) is the head of a diplomatic representation, such as an ambassador, high commissioner, nuncio, chargé d'affaires, permanen ...

for Team Canada at the

2015 Pan American Games Fifteen or 15 may refer to: * 15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16 *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music * Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak a ...

and the 2016 Summer Olympics. In 2018, Harnett was made a Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the c ...

Quotes

* "It's time to get a haircut and get a real job." – After competing in his final Olympic Games. Harnett was noted for his distinctive long, very curly blond hair and even did a TV commercial for a shampoo.

References

External links

Website
* 1965 births Living people Canadian male cyclists Cycling announcers Cyclists from Ontario Cyclists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 1987 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Members of the Order of Canada Olympic bronze medalists for Canada Olympic cyclists of Canada Olympic medalists in cycling Olympic silver medalists for Canada Sportspeople from Toronto Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Canada Pan American Games gold medalists for Canada Pan American Games bronze medalists for Canada Commonwealth Games medallists in cycling Pan American Games medalists in cycling Cyclists at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Cyclists at the 1994 Commonwealth Games Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games {{Canada-Olympic-medalist-stub