Alexander 'Alex' Wilson was a Canadian sprinter who was born in 1907. There isn't a lot of information about his childhood, but his career as a sportsman was really amazing. He represented Canada in 1928 Summer Olympics and also in 1932 Summer Olympics.
He got to represent Canada in the Olympics just a few weeks after he participated in the tryouts for the Amsterd Olympics represented Montreal. There he won the second place in the 400 metres and third place in the 800 metres. With those results, he was allowed to participate in the Olympics.
In 1928 he had only 21 years old, and the competition was strong. With Phil Edwards, James Ball and Stanley Glover, who were his partners, he won the bronce medal in 4 x 400 metres. That was an amazing accomplished which couldn't have been done without Alex Wilson presence. Inmediately after the Olympics, he moved to the United States and started studying at the University of Notre Dame, in the state of Indiana. There he became a star athlete. He was waiting for the next Olympics to show all he had trained.
Before 1932, in 1929, he took part in the Millrose Games, which was held in Madison Square Garden, a competition with indoor tracks. He participated with his team, which was conformed by himself, Phil Edwards, Percy Williams and James Ball. They surprised everyone there and won the gold medal. He was becoming more and more famous. In 1930 he ran, in Toronto, 500 yards in 57 seconds. Only two more people got to run a quarter of a mile in such a short time.
A few weeks later, as if he shouldn't had to rest, he won, at the Canadian Championship, the gold medal in 440 yards. He also got a silver medal in the 4 x 440 yards and a bronze medal in 880 yards. He trained to be the best sprinter both compiting indoor and outdoor. That's why in 1931, just a year before the Olympics, he returned to Madison Square Garden to compete again. There he got the third place in 600 yard race, a distance he was not used to race.
It was the summer of 1931 and the Olympics were really closer. He was already the favourite to win the gold medal in both 400 an 800 metre race. Even though he was famous national and internationally, he hadn't been chosen for the national team. He had to compete in the Canadian campionship. There he marked a new Canadian record, won the gold in 400 metres and beaten Phil Edward, his partner, in 800 metres.
And there the Olympics arrived. He beaten the world record in 400 metres but he had to be contented with the bronze medal, which he won. In the 800 metres race he beaten Phil Edwards again but he finished the second place, and got the silver medal. Finally, in the 4 x 400 metres he and his team won a bronze medal.
After the Olympics he stopped training and rounded up his career, but he didn't leave the track and field arena. He became a coach in Loyola University, in the state of Chicago, and kept doing his best at this job for 18 years. Then in 1950 he travelled to Indiana again and returned to his alma mater to became a coach, and didn't stop until 1973.
In 1954 he was inducted to the Athletics Canadian Hall of Fame. He was also named coach of the year in 1972 and died really pacefuly in 1994. He will always be remembered by all his achievements both personal and colective ones.
