Percy Williams was one of Canada’s most successful athletes, yet his story isn’t well known.
Williams won gold twice in the 100 and 200 metre races at the 1928 Olympic games in Amsterdam, becoming one of the only Canadian athletes to do so.
The Vancouver-based athlete donated the medals to the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame, but years later, those medals were stolen, according to curator Jason Beck.
For 43 years, Williams’ exhibit at the Hall of Fame celebrated the sprinter without his medals on display. Now, thanks to his extended family, that will no longer be the case.
In September of 2022, Tracey and Brian Mead, sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee outlining what happened.
“When you find out there’s an Olympic athlete in your family, there’s a bit of pride there and we wanted to restore that for him,” Tracey Mead said.
The IOC decided to do something it rarely does. It recreated the medals using moulds from the 1928 games.
Mead and her family said they were grateful to the committee for making an exception for their family member, and honouring his legacy.
Williams’ legacy is part of Canadian history. Recalling his story, Jason Beck, the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame curator, said when Williams was 15-years-old, he came down with rheumatic fever and was advised to avoid physical activities.
“Doctors told him to take it easy and he didn’t,” Beck said.
After winning numerous races in high school, he graduated and ended up at his first Olympic games in Amsterdam. When he won, the result was so shocking, Beck said, that the Olympic committee scrambled to find a Canadian flag for the award ceremony.
“Many have said that Percy put Vancouver on the world map for the first time that summer,” Beck added.
In a video shared by the Hall of Fame, Williams’ 102-year-old cousin-in-law, who was eight at the time, said she still remembers that day.
“I am thrilled that the Olympic committee can replace Percy’s medals and restore the memory of his contributions to Canadian history,” Della Riedel said.
Williams’ family decided to donate his medal back to the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame.
“I think he can rest easy now. This is where he wanted the medals to be and I think they’re home again and that’s where they need to be,” Tracey Mead said.