Winners: Robert (Scotty) Rankine, Athletics

1935 - Feature Story

Early winners of Canadian male athlete of the year honours reflected a golden age of long distance running in Canada. Rankine, of Preston, Ontario, earned a Silver medal in the six-mile race and finished fourth in the three-mile event at the 1934 British Empire Games in London. The 1935 recognition of Robert Rankine marked yet another laurel for a distance runner.  He continued his impressive distance running exploits by going undefeated in all of his races from five to 15 miles. He also won his second consecutive Canadian 10-mile championship, and then defeated the top American distance runners for the third straight time by setting a course record at the prestigious Berwick Modified Marathon. News reports note he then quit running for the rest of the season to undergo a hernia operation. Rankine went on to win a Silver medal in the men’s six-mile race and a Bronze medal in the men’s three-mile race at the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney.

Career Highlights

• 1938 Silver medal in the 6 mile and Bronze in the 3 mile athletics events at the British Empire Games in Sydney, Australia
• 1935 Lionel Conacher Award (Canada’s male athlete of the year)
• 1935 Rankine went undefeated in all races from five to 15 miles
• 1935 Rankine set the course record in the Berwick Modified Marathon in Pennsylvania
• 1934 Silver medal in the 6 mile athletics event at the British Empire Games in London, England