Canada’s forgotten fastest man

Eldridge ‘Gus’ Eatman is not a well-known name in Canada, but it should be. A century ago, Eatman was regarded as one of the fastest men on the planet. He was a multiple world record-holder and world champion. He was also a soldier, all at a time when Black Canadians were not allowed to compete in amateur athletics or enlist in the army.

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Eatman’s story had been largely forgotten throughout the second half of the 20th century. But his legacy is finally being recognized, thanks to a distant relative who unearthed his story and launched a mission to share it with the world.