Olympic gold medal winning rower

by George W Hungerford, OC, QC

Competed in 1964 Summer Olympics (Tokyo)
Sport: Rowing (pairs)
Result: Gold Medal Called to B.C. Bar, 1969
Practice area: Corporate and Business Law
Current affiliation: George W. Hungerford Law Corporation

Canada’s only gold medal at the 1964 Olympic Summer Games! Together with rowing partner Roger Jackson, George Hungerford’s victory in the coxless pairs event was an incredible feat of perseverance in the face of adversity. Hungerford attributes his exceptional athletic achievements to mental toughness, physical fitness and the ability to think clearly during times of stress; traits that have also been key to his distinguished career in law. Called to the Bar in 1969 and practising as a corporate and business lawyer, Hungerford’s incredible strength of will is almost legend among his colleagues.

In 1963, Hungerford was successful in securing a place on the University of British Columbia’s men’s eights, a team that was regarded as Canada’s best hope for Olympic rowing gold. Just three months before the opening ceremony, he fell ill with mononucleosis and was forced to give up his place on the team. Hungerford was replaced on the men’s eight by Wayne Petty who in turn left Roger Jackson without a partner in the pairs event. While still recovering from his illness, the opportunity to train with Jackson gave Hungerford new hope of competing in Tokyo – if only the two men could demonstrate Olympic calibre with just six weeks of training under volunteer coach David E. Gillanders, QC. It was an outside chance with Hungerford being in poor health and never having rowed a race in the men’s pairs. But being “young with a dream,” he was not about to pass up a potentially life changing opportunity.

The two young men performed extremely well in their short time practicing together and joined Canada’s Olympic team as alternates. Without a shell, until they borrowed one from the Americans, they set themselves the ambitious goal of reaching the pairs finals. Hungerford and Jackson emerged with the fastest time from their qualifying leg even though it was the first race as a pair.

“Roger and I both had a lot of experience. The problem is it sometimes takes years for a pair to gel and to find that harmony because really good pairs have to develop a telepathic way of communicating… we were able to put it together in three weeks.”

Landing at the top of the qualifying heats got them straight to the gold medal round and provided Hungerford with some much-needed rest. All Canadian rowing hopes rested on this “unknown dark horse pair” as no other Canadian rower making it past the qualifying stage. Against the odds, Hungerford and Jackson took the gold medal and earned their place in Canadian sporting history.

When asked about the link between his success in athletics and the practice of law, Hungerford says, “Mental toughness is the ability to perform consistently at high levels through all times and all challenges of personal and professional pressure. I came out of it (the Olympic experience) with a lot more self-belief. I approach life and career with the same kind of mental toughness I required for success at the Olympics.”

Click here to hear the complete George Hungerford interview.

This article was published in the June 2009 issue of BarTalk. © 2009 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.