Simon Gillis

Simon Gillis, wearing the Winged Foot of the New York Athletic Club.

Simon Gillis (Simon Peter Gillis; April 6, 1875 – January 14, 1964) was an American track and field athlete, a member of the New York Athletic Club, and the New York City Police Department. He was one of a group of athletes known as the Irish Whales and frequently kept company with members of the Irish American Athletic Club. He competed in weight throwing events in the 1904 Summer Olympics, 1908 Summer Olympics and in the 1912 Summer Olympics.

Clarence Childs (left) and Simon Gillis (right)

Biography

He was born in Nova Scotia, Canada and died in Phoenix, Arizona.

In 1904, Gillis accidentally killed a boy when he was practicing his hammer throw in a vacant lot in Harlem. Gillis was practicing with a 16 pound hammer in a vacant lot on Park Avenue between 134th and 135th street on September 30, 1904, and "just as he had let the 16 pound hammer go for an extra long throw, Christian Koehler, a fourteen-year old boy, climbed the fence in pursuit of a baseball. Gillis and several boys shouted a warning, but Koehler did not hear. The hammer struck him in the head and he was instantly killed." Gillis, who was a big, good-natured fellow, was said to be "...heartbroken over the affair."

In 1906, Gillis was the National Amateur Athletic Union junior champion hammer thrower, with a throw of 161 feet and 8 inches.

In 1908 he finished seventh in the hammer throw event. He also participated in the discus throw event but his result is unknown. Prior to the 1908 Summer Olympic Games, Gillis won the English amateur championship with the 16 lb. hammer with a throw of 164 feet 5 inches.

Four years later he competed in the 1912 Olympic hammer throw contest but was not able to set a mark.

References

• 1910 Mecca Cigarettes Champion Athlete and Prize Fighter Series trading card.

External links

• Sports-reference.com profile