 Percy Williams at the 1928 Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | May 19, 1908 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | November 29, 1982(1982-11-29) (aged 74) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 56 kg (123 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Sprint running | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Vancouver Athletic Club | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Percy Alfred Williams[1]OC (May 19, 1908 – November 29, 1982) was a Canadianathlete, winner of the 100 and 200 metres races at the1928 Summer Olympics and a formerworld record holder for the100 metres sprint.[2]
Williams was the only child of Frederick Williams, who was originally fromEngland, and Charlotte Rhodes, who hailed fromSt. John's,Newfoundland.[3][4] At the age of 15, Williams suffered fromrheumatic fever and was advised to avoid strenuous physical activities. However, as his high school required participation in athletic competitions, he started training in sprint in 1924 and by 1927 became a local champion.
At the 1928 Olympic trials, Williams won the 100 and 200 metres races, equaling the Olympic 100 metres record of 10.6 seconds.[5][6]
To earn his travel ticket for the trials, Williams and his volunteer coach, Bob Granger, worked as waiters and dishwashers in a railroad dining car, and Vancouver track fans raised the money to pay Granger's transatlantic ship passage to the 1928 Olympics.[6]
In the second round of the 100 metres atAmsterdam, Williams again equaled the Olympic record with a time of 10.6 seconds and did the same in his semi-final, but placed second toBob McAllister. The final opened with two false starts, first byWilfred Legg and then one byFrank Wykoff. Williams took the lead off the start and never relinquished it, winning the gold overJack London withGeorg Lammers third. Williams then won the 200 metres two days later, coming from behind to overtakeHelmut Körnig, who had led out of the bend. It was Williams' eighth race in four days and he was the first non-American to complete the sprint double.[7][8] Williams was also part of the Canadian team which was disqualified in the final of the4 × 100 metre relay contest.[5]
Williams's victories were front-page news in Canada and he returned a national hero, feted by enormous crowds across the country. An estimated 25,000 people turned out to welcome him at theCanadian Pacific Railway station at the foot ofGranville Street in Vancouver.[9] Williams was met off the train by MayorL. D. Taylor and PremierSimon Fraser Tolmie. They bundled him and Granger into cars and paraded them through the confetti-filled city. The event was broadcast live by reporters with microphones stationed along the route.[6]
Williams showed that his success was not an accident, setting aWorld Record at theCanadian Track and Field Championships atVarsity Stadium inToronto in 1930. He then won the 100 yard dash at the inaugural British Empire Games (now known as theCommonwealth Games) inHamilton, Ontario, but tore the tendons in his upper left leg around the 70 yard mark and never made a full comeback.[10] At the1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, he was eliminated in the semi-finals of the100 metre event. With the Canadian team he finished fourth in the4 × 100 metre relay competition. Subsequently, Williams stopped running and became an insurance agent.[6]
In August 1940, Williams joined theNon-Permanent Active Militia, his occupation listed as "Salesman" and religion as "C of E" (Church of England). He also served as a civilian pilot duringWorld War II, ferrying aircraft around the country forCanadian Airways, then became a civilian flight instructor with theRoyal Canadian Air Force.[11]
In 1971, after his former mentor's death, Williams was asked how much credit was due to Granger for his Olympic success. "Offhand, I'd say 100 percent," Williams answered.[11]
In the mid-1960s, he donated his two gold medals from the 1928 Olympics to theBC Sports Hall of Fame, saying he wanted them to be seen and remembered. In 1980, they were stolen never to be found again; gold prices at the time were at historic highs and it was suspected the medals had been melted down.[12] It was said at that time Williams simply shrugged off the loss and no replacements were ever issued. In 2023 the stolen medals were replaced by newly minted replicas, recreated by the International Olympic Committee at the request of Williams family, who then rededicated them to B.C. Sports Hall of Fame.[12]
In later years, Williams grew bitter about his sporting experiences, culminating in being the only living Canadian Olympic gold medalist who refused the federal government's invitation to attend the1976 Summer Olympics inMontreal.[13]
In 1979, he was made an Officer of theOrder of Canada.[14]
Williams, who never married, lived with his mother, Dot, until her death in 1980, at the age of 92.[6] After that, he lived on alone and suffered from terriblearthritic pain.
A keen collector of guns, Williams shot himself in the head with a shotgun he had been awarded in 1928 as a prize for his Olympic feat. His suicide was a major surprise to everyone and no note was left.[1] He was interred at Masonic Cemetery ofBritish Columbia, Burnaby, Canada.
In 1950, Williams was proclaimed by a Canadian press poll as Canada's greatest track athlete of the first half of the century, which was later updated in 1972 to declare him Canada's all-time greatest Olympic athlete.[15]
Percy Williams Junior Public School located inToronto,Ontario, is named after Williams.[16]
In 1996,Canada Post released a postage stamp of Percy Williams as part of its "Sporting Heroes" series.[17]
Outside the BC Sports Hall of Fame atBC Place is a life-sized statue of Williams, crouched in a sprinter's stance.[18]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
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Representing Canada | |||||
| 1930 | British Empire Games | Hamilton, Canada | 1st | 100 y | 9.9 |
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Commonwealth Games champions in men's100 metres | |
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| 100 yards (1930–1966) | |
| 100 metres (1970–present) |
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| International | |
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| People | |
| Other | |
