Skip to main content
The greatest athlete (you've never heard of) : Canada's first Olympic gold medallist

The greatest athlete (you've never heard of) : Canada's first Olympic gold medallist

Book 2019

"Paralyzed as a child, George Washington Orton eventually recovered, and never slowed down again, winning Canada's first gold medal in the 2,500-metre steeplechase at the 1900 Paris Olympics. Beyond that, he was a teacher, coach, author, and member of the American Academy of Poets. A brilliant scholar, he could understand twelve languages and was fluent in nine. Orton was a sports pioneer in other ways, introducing the idea of numbered football j...