Gordon AUDLEY

Speed skater Gordon Audley won his first competition at the age of 10 and set Manitoba records in the 110y and 220y events. In 1944 he won the Manitoba Open Championship in the Junior Division and began branching outside of his home province after breaking the Manitoba Intermediate record in 1945. That same year, he won meets in Saskatchewan and Detroit, Michigan before taking the Canadian Championships, the Manitoba Closed and Open and placing second overall in the North American Outdoor Championships. From 1947 through 1957 he won the senior division of the Manitoba Championships five times and placed second twice, as well as placing second in the Canadian Championships three times. He also participated in three Olympic Winter Games, his most notable being in 1952 where he was the Canadian flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremonies and took bronze in the 500m event (Canada’s only individual medal at these games), sharing the honor with Arne Johansen of Norway. After winning his final Manitoba Championship, he retired from the sport, moved to California and was an official at the 1960 Winter Olympics. He has remained athletically active up to his 80th birthday and is a member of the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame (inducted in 1988) and the Canadian Speed Skating Association Hall of Fame.

Personal Bests: 500 – 43.2 (1956); 1500 – 2:24.7 (1956); 5000 – 9:55.4 (1952).