Elvis Gordon (23 June 1958 – 11 May 2011) was a Jamaican-born

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

heavyweight

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...

ka who won numerous medals representing

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. He competed for Great Britain at the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

and

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

Olympic games. Gordon won silver in the

1987 World Judo Championships The 1987 World Judo Championships were the 15th edition of the World Judo Championships, and were held in Essen, West Germany from November 19–22, 1987. Medal overview Men Women Medal table References External linksResults of the World ...

, was European champion in 1988, and Commonwealth champion in 1986 and 1990. He retired from competitive judo in 1993, and subsequently competed at the 1994

Sumo World Championships The Sumo World Championships is an amateur sumo competition organized by the International Sumo Federation. The men's competition started in 1992 and the women's competition started in 2001, with both competitions having been held together. The comp ...

as a wrestler in the heavyweight category. In 2009, he made a brief return to judo, winning silver at the 2009 British Masters Championship in the men's 50–54 years over-100 kg category.

Early life

Gordon was born on 23 June 1958 in

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. He emigrated to Britain with his family in 1967, settling in

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

. Gordon began studying judo in 1972 at

Northicote School Northicote School was a co-educational secondary school located in the city Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. The age range of the school was 11-18. It had specialist status in mathematics and computing. It was the first school in Britain t ...

, Wolverhampton, and joined the Wolverhampton Judo Club, coached by Malcolm "Mac" Abbotts. Abbotts said of him: "I couldn't believe the strength in him, even at that age." As a teenager, Gordon drifted from judo into

powerlifting Powerlifting is a strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight single-lift effor ...

, and came 2nd in the under-19 national powerlifting championships at age 15.

Major achievements

* 3 x times Olympian (1984, 1988, 1992) * World Championship silver medal (1987) * 3 x times Commonwealth gold medallist (1986 x2, 1990) * European Championship gold (1988) and 2 bronze 1985 & 1992) * 8 x times champion of Great Britain at the

British Judo Championships The British Judo Championships are held annually and feature various age and weight categories to determine the British champion. The Championships are currently held at the English Institute of Sport, Sheffield. Until 2013, the Championships wer ...

1981, 1983, 1984, 1985 (+open), 1987, 1989, 1991. * In 1986, he won the bronze medal in the 95kg weight category at the judo demonstration sport event as part of the

1986 Commonwealth Games The 1986 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a 'Cho-fhlaitheis 1986) were held in Edinburgh, Scotland, between 24 July and 2 August 1986. They were the second Games to be held in Edinburgh. Thirty two of the eligible fifty nine countries (largel ...

Later life

After retiring from competitive sport, Gordon was employed as the

caretaker Caretaker may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Caretaker'' (film), a 1963 adaptation of the play ''The Caretaker'' * ''The Caretakers'', a 1963 American film set in a mental hospital * Caretaker, a character in the 1974 film '' T ...

Moseley Park School Moseley Park School is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in the Bilston area of Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. Admissions Moseley Park converted to academy status in June 2012, and was previously a community school unde ...

Bilston Bilston is a market town, ward, and civil parish located in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It is close to the borders of Sandwell and Walsall. The nearest towns are Darlaston, Wednesbury, and Willenhall. Historically in Staffordshi ...

, West Midlands, where he also provided judo coaching. In 2010, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and died in May 2011. Following Gordon's death, students at his place of work chose to name the school's new gymnasium after him. Nick Elwiss, the head teacher, said: "He was held in extremely high regard by staff and pupils and is fondly remembered by us all."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Elvis 1958 births 2011 deaths Black British sportsmen English male judoka Commonwealth Games gold medallists for England Commonwealth Games medallists in judo English sumo wrestlers Olympic judoka for Great Britain People from Hanover Parish Sportspeople from Wolverhampton Judoka at the 1984 Summer Olympics Judoka at the 1988 Summer Olympics Judoka at the 1992 Summer Olympics Jamaican emigrants to the United Kingdom English people of Jamaican descent Judoka at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 1990 Commonwealth Games

Early life

Major achievements

Later life

See also

References

External links