Simon Gillis, Olympian
He was known for his feats with hammers, discus
The Olympic Games will start in two weeks in Rio de Janeiro.
In 1894 the International Olympic Committee was formed and the first so-called “modern day Olympics” was held in Athens in 1896. The 1900 games were held as part of the Paris Exposition and in 1904 they were part of the St. Louis World’s Fair. One of the competitors in the 1904 Olympics was Simon P. Gillis of Gillisdale, Margaree, Inverness County.
Gillis was born in 1875, the fifth child of a family of thirteen. He spent his first twenty years living in Margaree and working the family farm. Through his hard work at the farm Gillis built up considerable strength and competed in various track and field events in Inverness, Sydney, Antigonish and Halifax. He excelled at his main sports, the 12 and 16 pound hammer throws and the discus. Records show he competed for St. Francis Xavier University in 1904. He set a world record heaving the 12-pound hammer 193.5 feet.
In order to further his athletic development Gillis moved to the United States settling in New York City where he worked as a policeman. He trained with the New York West Side Athletic Club. It was here he developed into a world-class athlete and serious competitor in the discus and hammer throw. Because of his considerable strength and winning ways Gillis was asked to compete at the 1904 Olympics as part of the large U.S. team.
Though he didn’t place in the 1904 Olympics Gillis returned to work and competition and in the following year won championships in the 16 pound hammer for major competitions in the New England States as well as back home with a Maritime championship win. In 1906 Gillis would go on to win the US National Junior championship with a 16 pound hammer toss of 161 feet, 8 inches.
By 1908 Gillis had established himself as one of the best hammer throw athletes in the world. In London, England he flung the 16 pounder 168 feet to land in the dust with a thud and an accompanying English Championship first place award. He went on to compete in Scotland and Sweden and was a serious contender back in London for the 1908 Olympics as part of the US contingent of heavy swingers. Hammer throw was a popular sport by 1908 and Gillis had some strong competition. He finished seventh in the 16pound weight class.
Gillis would continue competing when he returned to the US and was selected for the 1912 US team, making this his third Olympics, something that doesn’t happen to many athletes today. Unfortunately a foot injury prevented him from competing at the Stockholm Games.
Gillis’s sporting success allowed him to travel to various parts of the world during a time when travelling abroad was considered not for the common person. In 1913 he went to Spain and competed solo in a tug-of-war against six men and won by three inches. When he returned for visits to his home in Margaree he was welcomed as a hero.
For a Canada Day celebration and weight throwing exhibition in Inverness he was described as “one of the mightiest hammer throwers in America, the pride of Nova Scotia.” The Xaverian, published by ST. F.X., had previously written Simon Gillis “is a beautiful specimen of humanity and his great prowess as an athlete is equalled only by his modesty as a man.”
Much is made of diet in an athlete’s training these days and it was back in Gillis’ day as well. A newspaper account from a Vancouver Evening Sun sports writer claims Gillis ate boiled eggs with the shells on and spread with mustard as part of his Olympic diet. He could consume a whole boiled chicken and was reputed once to have finished off five bowls of soup before supper.
Simon Gillis continued to compete for a number of more years and in 1928 while living in Phoenix, Arizona and working as a contractor he throw the big hammer past the Olympic record set earlier that year, with a resounding thump of 173 feet, 3 inches. He tossed his last in 1929.
Simon Gillis entered the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame this year.