Gilles Potvin

Gilles Potvin, a Canadian marathon swimming legend

Gilles Potvin is a Canadian open water swimmer and coach who was inducted in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame as an Honour Coach in 2006.

Open Water Swimming Highlights

Gilles participated in many of the Quebec, Canada professional marathon swims:
- 34 km Traversée internationale du lac St-Jean
- 45 km Saguenay River swim
- 24-hour Lac La Tuque relay (24 Heures La Tuque) (a total of 6 times including in the 1975 24 Heures La Tuque when he completed 109 tours)
- the Trois-Rivières swim
- Lac Simone a 15-mile professional marathon swim sanctioned by the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation.
Potvin has the most coaching victories in the history of the Traversée Internationale du lac St-Jean, guiding John Kinsella and Paul Asmuth to numerous wins in one of the most famous marathon swims in the world.
He coached the Canadian national open water swimming team at the 1991 and 1994 World Swimming championships.
He was the former president of the World Professional Marathon Swimming Federation in 1977.
Quote: "Open water swimming is a sport I adore. It's one of the rare sports in which just finishing is an accomplishment."

1. George Park (Canada) 5 hours 10 minutes
2. Conrad Corbell (Canada) 5 hours 23 minutes
3. Jean Couture (Canada) 5 hours 35 minutes
4. Armand Cloutier (Canada) 6 hours 15 minutes
5. Robert Cossette (Canada) 6 hours 25 minutes
6. Gilles Potvin (Canada) 6 hours 26 minutes
7. Ben Bouchard (Canada) 6 hours 49 minutes
8. François Asselin (Canada) 6 hours 56 minutes
9. Paul Malone (Canada) 7 hours 14 minutes
10. Ralph Willard (USA) 7 hours 50 minutes
11. J.P. Chénier (Canada) 8 hours 32 minutes
12. Ben de Montreuil (Canada) 8 hours 46 minutes

He competed in the 1975 24 Heures La Tuque when he completed 109 tours) with Gilles Potvin.