Depression-era track star John Loaring recognized

By Dave Waddell, The Windsor Star, November 10, 2009

WINDSOR, Ont. -- Forty years after his death, the illustrious track and field career of John Loaring is still being recognized as one of the finest resumes ever put together by a Canadian athlete.

A 1936 Olympic silver medallist (400 hurdles) and a triple gold-medal winner (400m, 400m hurdles, 4x400m relay) at the 1938 British Empire Games, the long-time Windsor resident was selected as one of 15 members of the Ontario Track and Field Association's inaugural hall of fame class.

Loaring, who was named Canada's top track athlete of the year in 1938, is already a member of the Canadian Olympic, Canadian Amateur Athletic, the Windsor/Essex County Sports and the University of Western Ontario cross-country/track and field and swimming and diving halls of fame.

"This was a surprise to us," said Loaring's granddaughter Charlotte Loaring, who along with her father John Jr. and brother James will attend the induction ceremony in Toronto Dec. 5

"To be part of the first group of 15 inductees, with people like Donovan Bailey, is huge for our family. We're so proud to be descended from such a great individual."

Loaring, who moved from Winnipeg to Windsor in 1926 and remained here until his death in 1969 at age 54, still stands alone in one other Olympic feat.

He's the lone male athlete ever to compete in all three of the game's 400-metre events — the 400m, 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay. He finished top six in all three of those events.

Loaring finished second to American Glenn Hardin, the world record holder and defending Olympic gold medallist by 3/10s of a second in the 400m hurdles.

For his unprecedented feat, Loaring was named the toughest athlete of the 1936 games by the German media.

"He was only 21 and he'd only run those races a couple of times, so it was pretty amazing to do that in the Olympics," Charlotte Loaring said.

"You could read in his letters home from the Olympics his excitement, getting to meet Jesse Owens and some of the other competitors. It was a big propaganda games for Hitler and my grandfather commented on that.

"It's unfortunate that World War II prevented him from going to the next two Olympics. Historians feel based on his times and the fact he was so young in 1936 that he'd have been the favourite to win gold the next time."

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