Jacques CHARLAND

Jacques Charland first gained attention in Canada for his ski jumping prowess when he won the Canadian Junior Championships in 1947. He won his first senior national championship in 1952 and would claim eight more titles between 1953 and 1968. He attended four editions of the World Championships (1954, 1958, 1962, and 1966) and three of the Winter Olympics (1952, 1956, and 1960) and would have been present for more had he not been bereft of funds to travel to the tournament (1964) or rejected for being too old (1968). Arguably his most notable accomplishment came in 1958, when he jumped 442 feet, which was at the time the third longest jump on record. After retiring from active competition, he coached the national team from 1969 through 1970 and managed the squad at the 1970 World Championships. He was made a member of the Trois Rivieres, Quebec Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 1990.