Shirley Gordon Olafsson

Shirley Gordon Olafsson
Personal information
NationalityCanadian
Born(1927-04-10)10 April 1927
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Died23 November 2019(2019-11-23) (aged 92)
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Sport
SportAthletics
Event
High jump

Shirley Gordon Olafsson (born Shirley Gordon;[1] 10 April 1927 – 23 November 2019) was a Canadian athlete.[2] She competed in the women's high jump at the 1948 Summer Olympics tying for 11th place.[3][4]

Gordon was born with a deformed left foot. She walked with a limp and used crutches until she was 13. Unable to compete in team sports, she taught herself the high jump. She joined a track club after a friend who was invited insisted that they admit Shirley as well.[4] She married Herbert Olafsson, who was a member of the Canadian National Basketball team.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Beck, Jason (14 October 2011). "Olympian with 'turned foot' made history". Vancouver Courier. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  2. ↑ Richmond remembers acclaimed athlete Shirley Olafsson
  3. ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Shirley Gordon Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Hawthorn, Tom (30 April 2019). "Widow, 84, didn't let disability stop her from reaching Olympics". Retrieved 11 May 2019.


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