The life and legacy of Canadian icon and Olympian Harry Jerome

Last week marked the 60th anniversary of one of Canada’s greatest sporting moments. On July 15th 1960, Harry Jerome won the 100m at the Canadian Olympic Trials in 10.00. In doing so, he tied the world record and qualified for the Rome Olympics. Jerome went on to set 6 more world records, compete in 3 Olympic Games, and win international medals for Canada. And yet, very few outside of the track and field community know about him.

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In this episode we speak with author Norma Charles about the life and legacy of Harry Jerome, and about why we should celebrate him far more than we do. In 2017 she published a young adult novel entitled “Runner: The Life of Harry Jerome, World’s Fastest Man”. This book was written in the hopes of sharing Jerome’s story and legacy with readers across the country, particularly young people who might look to him as a role model.

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