Contact: Sonya Koson, Publicist 416-975-9334 x165 sonya.koson@harpercollins.com

UNSINKABLE: MY UNTOLD STORY

By Silken Laumann

(TORONTO – January 10, 2014) Silken Laumann is one of Canada’s most beloved and well-known Olympians. Best known for her extraordinary comeback from a debilitating injury just ten weeks before the 1992 Olympic Games, Silken reveals her untold story, her life beyond her rowing shell, in UNSINKABLE (HarperCollins Canada; ISBN: 9781443419079; on sale January 21, 2014; $29.99 CAN).

In 1992 Silken was the reigning world champion in single sculls rowing and was favoured to win the gold in Barcelona. Just ten weeks before the Games, she was involved in a brutal accident on the water that left her right leg shattered and useless. Doctors doubted she would ever row competitively again. But twenty-seven days, five operations and countless hours of grueling rehabilitation later, Silken was back in her racing shell, ready to pursue her dream. When the starter’s pistol rang out on August 2, she made the greatest comeback in Canadian sports history, rowing to a bronze-medal finish while the world watched, captivated by her remarkable story.

But behind her stoic demeanor, Silken’s past haunted her. An abusive relationship with her mercurial mother left her insecure and frustrated. Her need for control led her to an eating disorder at a young age, and she even experimented with cutting to try to relieve the pressure she felt and the anxiety she had. In Silken’s own words, sport saved her. She sought solace first in running, and then found her true calling – rowing. As it turned out, not only was rowing cathartic, she was good at it.

Years later, after her professional rowing career, Silken was faced with new challenges: a divorce, raising children as a single parent, and finding a new profession she could be passionate about. She battled depression, and the anxiety and insecurity first instilled in her youth came back to haunt her. Yet always one to persevere, Silken forged on. She eventually remarried, and with her husband, David Patchell-Evans, Founder and CEO of Goodlife Fitness, has a combined household of four children. One of her daughters is severely autistic. Silken now passionately crusades on behalf of the disability.

Time after time, this courageous champion has proven to be unsinkable. Silken’s extraordinary story offers us an intimate look at the complicated woman behind the Olympic hero, showing how perseverance and optimism can allow anyone to embrace the incredible opportunities that often go hand in hand with adversity.

Silken Laumann retired from rowing in 1999 with three Olympic medals. She is a popular and passionate speaker and life coach, and contributes to Chatelaine, Today’s Parent and other publications. As the spokesperson for GoodLife Kids, a board member of the Right To Play International and the author of Child’s Play: Rediscovering the Joy of Play in Our Families and Communities, Silken works to improve the lives of children around the world. Silken lives in Victoria with her partner and their four children.

Please contact Sonya Koson for cover art and interview opportunities at sonya.koson@harpercollins.com

UNSINKABLE by Silken Laumann HarperCollins Canada I ISBN: 9781443419079 I On Sale: January 21 I Price: $29.99 Canada