Jensen, Eleanor (1940–). Eleanor Jensen (née Haslam) of Saskatoon excelled as Canada’s best woman sprinter in the late 1950s. Born on September 11, 1940, Jensen represented Canada at the 1956 Melbourne Olympiad. The following year, she was rated the nation’s best 60- and 100-yard sprinter, and second-best 220-yard runner. 1958 was Jensen’s most outstanding year in track and field: she won five gold medals at the Western Canada Games, and placed first in three events at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games trials in Saskatoon. Jensen also set new Canadian records in the 100- and 220-yard races. At the games in Cardiff, Wales later that year, she anchored the 440-yard relay team to a bronze medal and was a finalist in the 220-yard sprint. She set a new Canadian record in the 100-yard event and was named Canada’s Outstanding University Athlete at the end of the year. Jensen was a member of the Canadian Olympic team at the 1960 Rome Olympiad. She posted Canada’s best times in the 100-, 200-, and 800-metre women’s events. Jensen was installed in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1974.
Bob Ivanochko, Holden Stoffel