Len Gushe, as a triathlete and swimmer, has shown both longevity and a high standard of excellence in both categories. The Winnipeg born Gushe first broke into local headlines in the 1990s by winning the North Bay Rotary triathlon 11 times in 16 attempts. In 2000 he won the 35+ age group in the Hawaii Ironman World Championship and in 2002 entered the Canadian long course triathlon where he finished first overall in the Pro division. 2007 saw Gushe named the Ontario male pro triathlete of the year as he won the Subaru triathlon series by over 150 points, winning seven events and setting a course record in the provincial finals. A year later, he set three FINA Masters age class swimming world records – a pair in the 400 individual medley and another in the 200m backstroke. He took three triathlon events in 2017 including Guelph in which he has been a winner 17 times. Overall Gushe has been a winner in 70 triathlon competitions over some two decades. In 2018, Gushe was elected to the Masters Swimming Canada Hall of Excellence capping a spectacular season which saw him set a Masters Federation Internationale de Natation (FINA) world record of 2:15:37 in the 200m backstroke (55-59 age class) in Los Angeles and set 33 Canadian Masters age class swimming marks. At the end of that year, he was ranked first in the world in over ten Masters swimming categories at various distances. As of 2020, Gushe holds more Masters swimming records than any other Canadian male and his 25 Canadian records are in four different age categories – 40-44, 45-49, 50-54 and 55-59. In 2022, Gushe had another great season racing in 10 triathlons finishing the season with 4 – 1st place finishes, 2 – 2nds, 2 – 3rds, a 4th and a fifth. 2023 saw Len set 20 Canadian Masters Swimming records setting a total of 31 national masters swimming records. Gushe will be the first individual inducted into the NBSHF for feats in swimming as well as triathlon.
