Gordon Smallacombe (10 February 1907 – 1957) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete who competed in jumping events. A

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

nian based out of the West End YMCA, he was the gold medallist in the

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...

at the

1930 British Empire Games The 1930 British Empire Games were the inaugural edition of what now is known as the Commonwealth Games, and were held in Hamilton, Ontario, from 16 to 23 August 1930. The games were organized by ''Hamilton Spectator'' sportswriter Bobby Robinso ...

, becoming the inaugural champion in the event with a jump of . It was in fact the very first gold medal won in the history of the British Empire (later Commonwealth) Games. He remains the only Canadian man to win that title. At the games, he also competed in the high jump (failing to record a mark) and in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...

, taking fifth place with a jump of . He won three titles at the

Canadian Track and Field Championships The Canadian Track and Field Championships is an annual outdoor track and field competition organized by Athletics Canada, which serves as the Canadian national championships for the sport. The most recent edition of the event took place in Montr ...

, being high jump champion in 1929 and double champion in 1930 in the long and triple jump.Canadian Championships Medallists 1900-2012

Athletics Canada Athletics Canada or AC (french: Athlétisme Canada) is the national governing body of athletics in Canada, which includes track and field, cross-country running, road running, and race walking. Athletics Canada is involved in many aspects of the ...

. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.

International competitions

References

1907 births 1957 deaths Athletes from Toronto Canadian male long jumpers Canadian male high jumpers Canadian male triple jumpers Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Canada Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Athletes (track and field) at the 1930 British Empire Games 20th-century Canadian people Medallists at the 1930 British Empire Games {{Canada-athletics-bio-stub