John Emery (bobsleigh)

John Emery

Personal information
Born	(1932-01-04) 4 January 1932 Montreal, Quebec
Medal record Bobsleigh Representing  Canada 1964 Innsbruck Four-man

John Emery (born January 4, 1932) is a Canadian bobsledder who competed in the early to mid-1960s. He won a gold medal in the Four-man Bobsleigh event at the 1964 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck. He was born in Montreal, Quebec, as was his brother Vic. Starting in 1959, John and Vic competed in two-man and four-man bobsleigh World Championship races where they were both drivers, John in Canada's #2 two-man sled. Vic was the driver of the four-man sleigh that won the gold at the 1964 Olympics. Vic also drove the two-man sleigh that took fourth place.

They had no sponsorship for their teams at the Olympics. They also had no practice track within Canada and so practiced in comparable other sports and also on the St Moritz Bob track when they could. They had their first actual runs in bobsleighs in St Moritz in 1956, competed in the World Championships there in 1959 and every year thereafter through 1966.

Italy and Austria were heavily favoured to win in the 1964 Olympics however Canada "walked away" with the Gold in the four-man, winning by a full second after 4 heats. John and Vic Emery, alongside Douglas Anakin and Peter Kirby,were inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. (Corrected by Vic Emery Nov 2016)

References

• Bobsleigh four-man Olympic medalists for 1924, 1932-56, and since 1964

edited by Vic Emery November, 2016