Nolan Named to 2026 Row Ontario Hall of Fame Class
The most decorated para rower in Canadian history was honoured on Friday, as Victoria Nolan was announced as the final member of the 2026 Row Ontario Hall of Fame Class.
Nolan didn’t participate seriously in rowing until the age of 31 but made up for lost time quickly after trying out rowing for the first time in 2006 at the Argonaut Rowing Club. Her historic rowing career would go on to span four Paralympic Games and include the first-ever Paralympic medal won by a Canadian boat.
“Being inducted into the Row Ontario Hall of Fame is an honour I never imagined when I first walked into the Argonaut Rowing Club at 31,” said Nolan. “My rowing journey was shaped by extraordinary teammates, coaches, volunteers and family members who believed in what we could achieve together. I’m deeply grateful for their support, and I hope my story encourages others to take a chance on what might be possible for them.”
Born with a genetic condition called retinitis pigmentosa which was diagnosed at age 18, Nolan’s vision slowly deteriorated during childhood and into her adult years. She came to Argos after finding out through a web search they had adaptive programming and took the club’s learn to row program. After meeting a fellow para rower who was attempting to qualify for the upcoming Paralympics, Nolan decided to do the same and quickly earned the attention of the National Team. She made her debut on the Paralympic stage in 2008 in Beijing, the first to feature para rowing, and earned a sixth-place finish in the PR3 Mix4+ category.
Just two years later, Nolan and her crewmates won gold at the 2010 World Rowing Championships in New Zealand, setting a world record in the process. A silver medal followed at the 2011 World Rowing Championships, and a second trip to the Paralympics in 2012 ended with a seventh-place finish in London. Four years later, Nolan would reach the Paralympic podium as she and her crewmates won a bronze medal in the PR3 Mix4+ at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. The historic performance was the first medal for Canada in rowing at a Paralympics.
Nolan retired from competitive rowing after the 2016 Paralympics but returned a few years later to push for another Paralympic spot. She earned a spot on the 2020 Paralympic team and competed at her fourth Paralympics in Tokyo in 2021 at the age of 46. Following the 2021 season, she retired again from competitive rowing and ended her career as the only four-time Paralympian in rowing in Canadian history. In addition to her Paralympic success, she competed in a total of six World Rowing Championships, never finishing lower than fourth place, and earned four World Rowing Championship medals (1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze). She also competed in two World Rowing Cup events, claiming a gold medal in 2016, and in 2010 won gold with partner Meagan Montgomery in the women’s pair event at the World Masters Rowing Championships.
In addition to an outstanding career on the water, Nolan has also made many contributions to para rowing and para sport off the water. She has been a vocal advocate for accessibility, diversity and inclusion in the para sport community, and has inspired many in the rowing community and beyond by sharing her inspirational story through motivational speaker roles at Conferences, schools and other settings. She has also served on the Row Ontario Diversity & Inclusion Committee and was a speaker at the 2023 RowOn Coaching Conference.
Nolan earned her master’s degree in education at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Child Study and was a teacher for the Toronto District School Board from 1999-2018. In 2014 she released her autobiography ‘Beyond Vision: The Story of a Blind Rower’. The book was adapted into a movie titled ‘Blindly Victorious’ which will be released later this year, bringing her story of vision loss and resilience to audiences across the country.
Row Ontario has been announcing the inductions of the 2026 Hall of Fame class throughout the week as part of ‘Hall of Fame Week’. Previously announced this week are Peterborough rowing builder Chris Leach, long-time Leander Boat Club coach Jim Roche, rowing pioneer Jake Gaudaur, the historic women’s pair of Alison Korn and Emma Robinson, and long-time national team member Jon Beare.
The 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 induction classes will be honoured in-person at the Row Ontario Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 28 in the Niagara area. The HOF induction ceremony is part of the Ontario Rowing Summit weekend. To purchase tickets to the HOF induction ceremony, visit the link below:
