Douglas Thomas Anakin (November 6, 1930 – April 25, 2020) 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 ...

bobsleigh Bobsleigh or bobsled is a team winter sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Fe ...

competitor. He was born in Chatham, Ontario and was selected by Vic Emery as a member of Canada's gold medal-winning four-man bobsleigh team at the

1964 Winter Olympics The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games (german: IX. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 ( bar, Innschbruck 1964, label= Austro-Bavarian), was a winter multi-sport event which was celebr ...

. Anakin was also one of the driving forces behind the Canadian luge program. He was inducted into

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canad ...

and the

Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame The Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame is an honour roll of the top Canadian Olympic athletes, teams, coaches, and builders (officials, administrators, and volunteers). It was established in 1949. Selections are made by a committee appointed by the Canad ...

. Anakin taught for 19 years at

John Abbott College John Abbott College (French: ''Collège John Abbott)'' is an English-language public college located in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada, near the western tip of the Island of Montreal. John Abbott College is one of eight English public ...

Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue () is an on-island suburb located at the western tip of the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is the second oldest community in Montreal's West Island, having been founded as a parish in 1703. The ol ...

before retiring in 1990. Because of his involvement at the school, his commitment to his community, and his passion for outdoor activities, the school established the "Doug Anakin Scholarship for Outdoor Pursuits" which is presented annually to a student who best demonstrates Anakin's traits. Anakin owned Doug Anakin Sports in

Beaconsfield Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, west-northwest of central London and south-southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High W ...

, a store specializing in outdoor sport equipment. Anakin was married and had two children and four grandchildren. He died in

Invermere, British Columbia Invermere is a community in eastern British Columbia, Canada, near the border of Alberta. It is the hub of the Columbia Valley between Golden to the north and Cranbrook to the south. Invermere sits on the northwest shore of Windermere Lake and ...

in 2020 at the age of 89.Doug Anakin, winner of Canada’s 1st Olympic gold in bobsled, dies at 89
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References

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070929125144/http://www.databaseolympics.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=ANAKIDOU01 DatabaseOlympics.com profile

External links

* * * 1930 births 2020 deaths Bobsledders at the 1964 Winter Olympics Lugers at the 1964 Winter Olympics Canadian male bobsledders Canadian male lugers Sportspeople from Chatham-Kent Olympic bobsledders of Canada Olympic gold medalists for Canada Sledding sportspeople from Ontario Olympic medalists in bobsleigh Medalists at the 1964 Winter Olympics {{Canada-bobsleigh-bio-stub