Anne Merklinger



Anne Merklinger (born November 15, 1958 in London, Ontario) is CEO of Own the Podium. She is a retired Canadian curler, a two-time runner-up at the Tournament of Hearts, the Canadian women's championship. She curled out of theRideau Curling Club.

Before curling, Merklinger was a notable swimmer. In the late 1970s, she was a member of the Canadian national swimming team.

After attending the 1990 and 1991 Tournament of Hearts as an alternate for Alison Goring, Merklinger skipped her first team to the Hearts in 1993. Her team lost to Maureen Bonar of Manitoba in the semi-final. Her team qualified for the Hearts once again the following year, but they failed to live up to expectations, finished with a 4-7 record.

Merklinger returned to the Hearts in 1998. Capping off a season that included her team attending the Canadian Olympic Trials, Merklinger would go all the way to the final before losing to Cathy Borst of Alberta in the final.

Merklinger attended her last Hearts in 2000 where she once again made it to the final. This time she lost to Kelley Law's team from British Columbia. Merklinger failed to qualify for any further Hearts after that. After the 2005-06 season, where her team failed to even make the provincial championships, she decided to retire from the game.

Following her curling career, Merklinger served as director general of the Canoe Kayak Canada. She also worked with the Commission for the Inclusion of Athletes with a Disability and served as a board member for Special Olympics Canada. Merklinger was named CEO of the Own the Podium program on January 26, 2012, succeeding Alex Baumann and following an interim period as co-CEO.