James Thompson

Who was James Thompson?

James Thompson was a Scottish-born Canadian freestyle swimmer who won a bronze medal in the 4×200 m freestyle relay at the 1928 Summer Olympics; he also competed in the 400 m and 1500 m freestyle events but failed to reach the finals. Two years later he won a gold medal in the 4×200 yard freestyle relay at the 1930 British Empire Games.

Thompson was born in Scotland and in the early 1920s moved to Canada, where he started training in swimming at the Toronto YMCA club. In 1928 the Canadian Olympic Committee selected him for the Olympics as a fourth team member, but could sponsor only three swimmers. Thompson, a machinist by profession, had modest incomes and had to seek sponsors to attend the Games. Later he initiated a government-sponsored swimming program for poor, and between 1932 and 1966 worked as the head coach of the Hamilton Aquatic Club. He was named Hamilton’s Citizen of the Year in 1959, Canada’s Swimming Coach of the Year in 1964, and was inducted into the Hamilton Sports and Ontario Aquatic Halls of Fame. Hamilton’s Jimmy Thompson Memorial Swimming Pool carried his name. He died of cancer in 1966.