 Grafton winning gold in 1950 Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | (1927-08-29)August 29, 1927[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | July 28, 1963(1963-07-28) (aged 35)[2] Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 165 lb (75 kg)[3] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country | Canada[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Weightlifting[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Joseph Aimé Gerald Gratton (August 29, 1927 – July 28, 1963)[3] was a CanadianOlympic weightlifting medallist. He won a gold medal at the1950 British Empire Games alongside a silver at the1952 Summer Olympics and a gold at the1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. Gratton was inducted to theCanadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1955 andCanada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
Gerry Gratton was born on August 29, 1927, inMontreal.[1]
Gratton started his weightlifting career at the1948 Summer Olympics where he came in fifth.[4] At the1950 British Empire Games, he won a gold medal in the middleweight event. Gratton followed up with a subsequent gold medal at the1952 Summer Olympics, but he was demoted to the silver medal after an official ruling. After the Olympics, Gratton won a gold at the1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in the middleweight category. Gratton was scheduled to compete at the1956 Summer Olympics, but he was disqualified due to surpassing the weight limit. Gratton's final competition before his retirement was at the1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.[2]
Throughout his career, Gratton set weightlifting records including sharing the middle weight Olympic record at the 1952 Olympics. He was also the flag bearer for the Canadian team at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games.[5]
In 1955, Gratton was inducted into theCanadian Olympic Hall of Fame.[6] Posthumously, he was inducted intoCanada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.[5]
Gratton died on July 28, 1963, after succumbing to injuries from a car accident.[2]
