photo: COC/The Canadian Press
A flash of greatness
Scrawny Vancouver sprinter Percy Williams shocked the running world at the 1928 Olympic Games, winning double gold to become a British Columbia sports hero.
July 30, 1928. In Amsterdam’s Olympisch Stadion, six men assemble at the starting line for the 100-metre finals. Each appears absorbed in his pre-race routines, stretching and bending, jogging on the spot, practising trial starts. They use trowels to dig toe-holes in the cinder track, each trying to get the best position for his starting crouch. All seem oblivious to the thousands of spectators in the stands.
Canada’s Percy Williams keeps his preparations subdued, mindful of his coach’s advice to conserve energy for the race. To those watching, he appears calm and focused. But hardly anyone is watching the small, wiry 20-year-old from Vancouver, a virtual unknown who stands little chance against this Olympic lineup of dash men. The smart money is on Frank Wykoff, a curly-haired, 18-year-old Californian who recently toppled the reigning world-record holder at the U.S. Olympic selection meet.
At the starter’s order, the racers take their places—digging their toes into the track, balancing the weight of their torsos on their outstretched arms, tensing their legs into coiled springs. “On your marks . . . set . . . .”
Read more in the current issue of British Columbia Magazine
