Olympian Shirley Olafsson (Gordon) - 1927-2019

Shirley OLAFSSON

OLAFSSON, Shirley
Shirley Olafsson (Gordon), passed away peacefully on Saturday morning, November 23, 2019 at the age of 92. Born April 10, 1927 in Vancouver General Hospital, Shirley was the daughter of the late Harry Gordon and Jean Gordon (Dawson). Shirley was born with a deformed foot, which did not allow her to run. Interested in sports, Shirley never let that stop her from competing. Teaching herself to high jump, Shirley qualified for the 1948 Olympics in London, England, where she finished 10th. Shirley also represented Canada at the 1950 British Empire Games in Auckland, New Zealand. Shirley's athletic successes were even more remarkable, when one considers that she had to jump and land on the same foot, which put her at a disadvantage to the rest of her competitors.

For more information please see Shirley Olafsson