 Lovell at his home in Mississauga, Ontario in September 2015 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 July 1950 Norwich, Norfolk, England |
| Died | 3 June 2016 (aged 65) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] |
| Weight | 71 kg (157 lb)[1] |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Road and Track cycling |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | All-rounder |
| Amateur team | |
| 1968–1983 | Team Canada |
| Major wins | |
| Silver Medal, 1978 UCI Track Championship,
Gold Medals, 1978 Commonwealth Games, Gold Medal, 1975 Pan American Games, 5 Gold Medals, 1974 CAN. Championships, Gold Medal, 1971 Pan American Games, Gold Medal, 1970 Commonwealth Games | |
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Jocelyn Charles Bjorn Lovell (19 July 1950 – 3 June 2016) was a Canadian and World cycling champion. He won dozens of Canadian national titles for track and road cycling in the 1970s and early 1980s, as well as gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and Pan American Games. He competed at three Olympic Games.[1] His victories, at international competitions, renewed global interest in Canadian cycling.[2]
In 1973 he was suspended from Team Canada during “the cookie incident.” His suspension caused him to miss the 1974 Commonwealth Games in New Zealand. He moved to Europe, for about six months, becoming the first Canadian to regularly compete for a European trade team. He returned to Canada in July 1974 where he won five gold medals at the Canadian men’s national cycling championships in track and long-distance cycling.
At the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton, he won three gold medals in Games record times. Later that year he won a silver medal at the world championships. He continued to race as an amateur into the early 1980s.
On 4 August 1983, he was hit by a dump truck while training in Halton Region, just northwest of Toronto.[3] The driver collided with him from behind, breaking Lovell's neck and pelvis.[4] From that moment on, he permanently became a quadriplegic. No charges were laid.[5] By 1985, he was sufficiently well enough that he focused his energies on activism for a cure for spinal injuries through his foundation.
When his career came to a sudden end, his cycling achievements were eventually recognized by various sports bodies in Canada. He was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame on 23 August 1985.[6][7] He was in the inaugural class of inductees for the Canadian Cycling Hall of Fame with a ceremony held on 10 October 2015 at the Mattamy National Cycling Centre in Milton, Ontario.[8][9]
- ^ a b c Olympedia Staff 2024.
- ^ Smith & Marshall 2012.
- ^ Gains 2016.
- ^ Sokol, Al (6 August 1983). "Hit by a truck premier cyclist fighting for his life". The Saturday Star. Toronto. pp. D1, D3. ProQuest 1413338466. Retrieved 6 April 2024 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Ormsby, Mary (24 August 2007). "Wheels are still turning for Lovell". Toronto Star. p. S4. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ CP Staff (9 August 1985). "Lovell waging stubborn battle against spinal-cord injuries". Kitchener-Waterloo Record. Waterloo, Ontario. The Canadian Press. p. D6. Retrieved 13 April 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Canadian Sports Hall of Fame Staff 2016.
- ^ CP Staff (16 September 2015). "Boivin, Houle, Numainville headline Canadian roster for road world championships". The Canadian Press. Retrieved 6 April 2024 – via ProQuest.
- ^ CBC Staff (11 October 2015). "Steve Bauer, Curt Harnett among Canadian Cycling Hall of Fame's Class of 2015". CBC Sports. Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2024.