Thursday, 29 October 2020

John Turner: Canadian Prime Minister, Statesman, World Class Sprinter

 

John Turner passed away last week. He was Canada's 77th Prime Minister back in 1984. After winning the Liberal Party leadership, he inherited the office of Prime Minister. He then called an early election and lost. He was Prime Minister for just under 3 months. Turner had also been a Justice Minister and a Finance Minister.

What often gets overlooked in the annals of history is the fact that John Turner was also a World class sprinter.


                                              Johnny 'Quick' Turner exploding from the start.

John Turner had a number of track and field accomplishments:

  • Turner was a top sprinter at University of British Columbia and led them to 2 Northwest Pacific track and field championships.
  • He was inducted into the UBC Hall of Fame in 2004. 
  • Turner qualified for the Canadian Olympic team in 1948 in the 100 meter sprint event.
  • Unfortunately, he injured his knee in a car accident and had to miss the 1948 Olympics.
  • Turner later attended Oxford University in England and was on the track and field team.
  • Roger Bannister, the first man to break the 4 minute mile barrier was a teammate of John Turner at Oxford.
   John Turner was a renaissance man in sports, in politics and in life. He first ran for the Liberal Party of Canada leadership in 1968. Turner was brushed aside by 'Trudeaumania' when Pierre Trudeau,  current PM Justin's father, swept to power. Turner won the leadership in 1984 to replace the same Pierre Trudeau. However, by then Canadian's were tired of the long reign of the Liberal party. Turner lost the next 2 elections to Brian Mulroney's Conservatives.
  John Turner was sometimes referred to as Canada's Kennedy. He had an abundance of 'savoir faire', a quality often absent in politicians today. Had he been able to have a longer tenure as leader, he may well have been Canada's JFK.   John Turner was a class act! We will miss you Mr. Prime Minister!


Until Next Time -Keep Healthy and Fit
Little Bobby Strong

Links




9 comments:

  1. I think that your article is very useful for my life. You give the really helpful tips. thank you very much. I want to read more Fitness and weight loss trainer in birmingham , so please update regularly. 

    ReplyDelete
  2. Really inspiring post for fitness lovers, thank you so much for sharing this with us.

    Personal Trainer Twickenham

    ReplyDelete
  3. Our personal training solutions are customized to your lifestyle, ensuring that you can keep it up long-term. Personal Trainer servicing the West Palm Beach

    Personal fitness coach in birmingham

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think this is an informative post and it is very useful and knowledgeable. therefore, I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article on Personal Trainer, Fitness.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Always a pleasure to read. Always informative. Great comedic wit as well!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Health Related Physical Fitness (usually referred to as "Health Related Fitness") is a fitness term which is not well-understood, yet often mentioned and very widely used. It is not merely an approximate term for "healthy and fit." There is a specific reason for its meaning and intention. Body shaping company

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hey keep posting such sensible and significant articles.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I definitely comply with some points that you just have mentioned on this post. I appreciate that you just have shared some reliable recommendations on this review.

    ReplyDelete
  9. That is the kind of blog I was searching from a long time. Muscle building personal training center offers fat loss, muscle building personal training. Rolandas, NPA British vice-champion.
    back pain treatment

    ReplyDelete