Submitted by the Staff of the Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH)
At the Olympics, those who compete in the decathlon are widely considered to be some of the world’s best athletes due to the difficulty of mastering the varied disciplines within the sport.
Decathletes compete in 10 track and field events over two days, including running, jumping, and throwing disciplines. The overall winner is the person who scores the most points in the ten events.
The modern roots of decathlon began in the late 1800s with an event called the All-Round Championship. One of the most dominant athletes within the sport was Orillia’s own Walter Knox.
Knox was a fascinating figure who straddled the worlds of amateur and professional sports. Knox was a sports hustler who made a living off athletics through gambling on himself, using his small stature to his advantage when rivals underestimated his talent.
Knox travelled through Europe and North America, going town to town, challenging the fastest men in the area to race. He would compete under a false name, placing a large bet on himself, and with the odds stacked against the smaller man, Knox earned a decent sum.
Unfortunately, his activities were considered ungentlemanly by other competitors in his sport, thus, Knox was banned for life from competing in the Olympics. It has meant that Knox is one of Canada’s most talented, but lesser-known athletes.
Walter Knox went on to have a successful career as a coach, especially as a proponent of female athletes, guiding fellow Orillian, Mamie Shrum to her own record-setting win in the shot put. He also coached the Canadian Olympic track and field team in 1920, and mentored the gold medal high-jump winner, Ethel Catherwood in 1928.
Walter Knox is a complicated figure who is not widely known within the world of Canadian sport, but who was very successful in his own way during his career.
One of OMAH’s most treasured artifacts is this medal (see the image above) which was won by Walter Knox in 1913 in Toronto. The award is for the “All-Round Championship of America,” and has the name of W.R. Knox inscribed in the reverse. It was one of many awards he took home during his career as a track and field hustler and champion.
Next week we will feature another object from the OMAH collection that showcases our local history.
