Samantha’s Bio

• At the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, Harding finished a solid eighth place in the 10km open water event, crossing the finish line just one second after her fellow Canadian, Jade Dusablon.
• At the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia, she earned herself a 27^th place finish in the 10km open water event.
• Samantha Harding had a breakout year in 2015 qualifying for both the 2015 Pan Am Games and the 2015 FINA World Championships.
• Her success came at the FINA Open Water Swimming Grand Prix 2015 in Cozumel, Mexico, where she finished 39th in a time of 1:54:12.00.
• Harding studies and swims at the University of Minnesota.
• During her time there she has helped the team to four consecutive Big Ten Titles and a top 10 NCAA finish.
• At the age of seven Harding broke her leg. She began swimming as a means of physical therapy.
• She quickly fell in love with the sport, and says her inspiration come from her teammates and her desire to push herself.
• Harding is a class of 2016 English major and plans to attend post-graduate studies.
• Her parents are from Ontario and she was born in Brandon, Man. She moved to New Mexico at age 14, where her parents work as professors at New Mexico State University.

Quick Facts

• Favourite Movie – Shawshank Redemption
• Favourite Magazine – National Geographic
• Favourite Book – Crime and Punishment, 1984
• Favourite TV Show – Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones
• Favourite Actor/Actress – Kevin Spacey
• Favourite Website – Netflix
• Favourite Band – Walk the Moon
• Music behind the blocks- Walk the Moon
• Favourite Restaurant – Andale’s
• Pre-race meal- Bagel and Banana
• Other sport- Diving
• Favourite Superhero – Superman
• Favourite Place to visit- East Brunswick, New Jersey, Toronto
• Guilty pleasure- Iced Coffee with Coconut Syrup