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

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

bobsleigh Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of 2 to 4 athletes make timed speed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sleigh. International bobsleigh competitions are governed by the International Bobslei ...

competitor. He was born in Chatham, Ontario and was selected by

Vic Emery Victor Emery (born June 28, 1933) is a Canadian athlete and businessman. Emery was born in Montreal, Quebec. He is a gold medallist in the four man bobsleigh pilot from the 1964 Olympic Winter Games, as well as the 1965 World Championships. Invo ...

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 () and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 (), were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964. The city was a ...

. Anakin was also one of the driving forces behind the Canadian

luge A luge () is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds Supine position, supine (face-up) and feet-first. A luger begins seated, propelling themselves initially from handles on either side of the start ramp, then steers by using the Ca ...

program. He was inducted into

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (; 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 Canada, it serves as a hall of fame and mu ...

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 Cana ...

. 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 publ ...

Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue () is an Greater Montreal, 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 ...

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 parishes in England, civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, northwest of central London and southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High Wycombe. The ...

, 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 a ...

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 for Canada Olympic gold medalists for Canada Sledding sportspeople from Ontario Olympic medalists in bobsleigh Medalists at the 1964 Winter Olympics 20th-century Canadian sportsmen {{Canada-bobsleigh-bio-stub