Meet alum Jim Elder, Olympic gold medal equestrian

Jim Elder won his first Olympic medal in 1956 while a student at Victoria College. He visited Vic on the eve of the Paris Olympics – and two days before his 90th birthday. Photos by Minh Truong.

Studying for final exams can be stressful enough – even more so when you’re also preparing to compete overseas in the Summer Olympics. That was the case for equestrian Jim Elder (BA 1957 VIC), who won his first Olympic medal in 1956 while studying political science and economics at Victoria College. 
 
“The equestrian events were in early June in Stockholm, Sweden,” Elder recalled during a visit to Vic on the eve of the Paris Olympics. “We trained the horses in England first. I had to write my exams in July and that was tough! Coming back from the Olympics and then having to go write exams when my guys were out doing things for the summer holidays.” 
 
Elder flew with his steed Colleen, an Irish-bred horse he describes as a “very nice mare,” in a DC-3 plane that had to stop in Montreal, Labrador, Iceland and the Netherlands to refuel. 
 
The voyage and deferred exams were worth it: Elder’s three-man squad, all of them U of T students, took home the bronze medal in Team Eventing, which consisted of a dressage test, a steeplechase/cross-country ride and a jumping event. Elder competed alongside fellow Vic alumnus Brian Herbinson, who passed away in 2022, and engineering grad John Rumble, who passed in 2023.

“First we did dressage, in which you do movements in a ring like figure skating,” said Elder, remembering the competition in Stockholm. “Then we did a 23-mile cross country, including a two-and-a-half-mile steeplechase. We were the only team that year who didn’t have a fall. We jumped fences in rivers, stone walls, everything. You go down slides and jump at the bottom – it’s very, very tricky.” At the time the fences were solidly bolted together, which could spell disaster if the horse got into trouble. 
 
Elder would go on to compete in the Olympics six times over his 36 years of competition, winning gold for the Team Jumping event in 1968 and serving as Canada’s flag bearer in 1972. (In the history of the Olympics, only 211 athletes have made six or more appearances.) He won gold twice at the Pan Am Games and once at the World Championships, and was inducted into the Order of Canada and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. His honours also include a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. 
 
He recalled riding in a Grey Cup parade to celebrate victory by the Toronto Argonauts, and the time he was invited to meet former U.S. president John F. Kennedy. “I danced with Ethyl Kennedy on the presidential yacht! My wife Marianne danced with Bobby Kennedy.”

During his visit to campus just before his 90th birthday, Elder fondly reminisced about his days at U of T. “We grew up at a good time,” he said. “I used to hitchhike down Avenue Road to get to class.” He also remembered watching football games at Varsity Stadium. “It was full every Saturday – Marianne was a cheerleader there. She went to Trinity College though,” he said with a grin. 
 
Despite his many accomplishments, Elder remains humble. “In high school I boxed in the 95- to 100-pound category. I loved sports but I couldn’t make the hockey team or the football team – I tried out for them all. I won the pole vault in my senior year, but I needed a pole to do it. Then I needed a horse to do it!” 
 
After retiring from competition, Elder worked with charities like the Community Association for Riders with Disabilities, where he judged the winners by their enthusiasm. 
 
Elder will be cheering for the Team Canada equestrians at the Paris Olympics. “I’ve known them all since they were 6 or 7,” he said. “They’re very experienced and have been all over the place. Tell them I said they’ve got as good a chance as anyone to win!” 

Originally published by Victoria College