Friday, March 16, 2012

Elliot Smith - 1st British Olympic Champion To Be Honored - News

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) More than 80 years right after Launceston Elliot appeared to be buried throughout an unmarked grave within a Melbourne cemetery, Britain's earliest Olympic champion will certainly have a headstone placed on his final slumbering place.

Elliot, who perished associated with most cancers within 1930 seven years after switching to Australia, was some sort of single-handed weightlifting gold medalist on the 1896 Athens Games.

Elliot's grave seemed to be found out within 2004 at Fawkner Cemetery inside Melbourne. But them weren't until two-time British Olympic rare metal medalist and also London Games leader accounting Sebastian Coe visited this serious a year ago that progress was made toward buying a headstone.

The formal procedure might be held Sunday all of which always be gone to by Elliot's granddaughter, Ann Elliot Smith , who lives throughout Brisbane, along with her New Zealand-based youngster Ian.

"I ended up being mentioned using the history regarding my personal grandfather as well as the way well known your dog was," Elliot Smith said. "We recognized he / she was buried, nevertheless decided not to learn where. I've still not really found out the reason why it was an unmarked grave.

"When these people said about the headstone, I has been consequently very pleased as well as hence fired up since I had tried personally for you to get yourself a plaque put at this time there but could hardly get everywhere until Sebastian Coe been seen in within the scene. Coe claimed it was before sacrilege than a wonderful man just like Launceston had not been recognized."

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