Bob Dixon (athlete)
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's athletics | ||
Representing  Canada | ||
| British Empire Games | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 1934 London | Javelin throw |
Robert Samuel "Bob" Dixon (1907–11 January 1941) was a Canadian track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw.
In a comparatively weak field, he won the gold medal at the 1934 British Empire Games ahead of the local opposition in London, throwing 60.02 m (196 ft 10 3⁄4 in) to beat South Africa's Harry Hart (who was winner of the shot put and discus that year).[1][2][3][4]
At national level, he won one javelin title at the Canadian Track and Field Championships, topping the podium in 1934.[5]
Dixon spent time in the Vancouver Police Force and played lacrosse with the New Westminster Salmonbellies with whom he competed for the Mann Cup in 1930. He also coached the Canadian lacrosse team at the 1932 Summer Olympics.
Dixon did two tours as a pilot in China, and somehow became the right-hand man of influential Chinese general Chang-Tso-Lin, according to newspaper reports.[6]
Dixon's time in China also included a stint with the Chinese Airforce during the Sino-Japanese War. He returned to Canada when war was declared in Canada and immediately enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force.[7]
Serving as a test pilot in the RCAF, he died in a airplane crash in Grosse Isle, Manitoba during World War II.[8] He was later inducted into the Richmond Sports Wall of Fame.[9]
References
- ↑ Commonwealth Games: Men’s javelin. Athletics Weekly (2014-07-23). Retrieved on 2016-03-17.
- ↑ Games Results for Robert Dixon. Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved on 2016-03-17.
- ↑ “Adding to the gaiety of things sporting”: Stanley Wilson, the leading British javelin-thrower of the 1930s. Track Stats (March 2008). Retrieved on 2016-03-17.
- ↑ Commonwealth Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-03-17.
- ↑ Canadian Championships Medallists 1900–2012. Athletics Canada. Retrieved on 2016-03-17.
- ↑ CBC News (November 13, 2016). "Athlete of the week: Bob Dixon, RCAF pilot". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
- ↑ City of Richmond, BC (January 12, 2017). "Flying Officer Robert Samuel Dixon". City of Richmond, BC. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
- ↑ Robert Samuel Dixon. Canada At War. Retrieved on 2016-03-17.
- ↑ Richmond Sports Wall of Fame launched with 16 inductees. Richmond. Retrieved on 2016-03-17.