Article

Douglas Hepburn

Published Online April 2, 2008

Last Edited July 6, 2017

Douglas Hepburn, weightlifter (born 16 September 1927 in Vancouver, BC; died 22 November 2000 in Vancouver, BC).

​Douglas Hepburn, weightlifter (born 16 September 1927 in Vancouver, BC; died 22 November 2000 in Vancouver, BC). Hepburn's birth was difficult, and he suffered from a club foot and a withered leg all his life. These infirmities did not deter him from training with weights, nor did they lessen his determination to excel. Competing in the heavyweight category (over 90 kg) at the 1953 World Weightlifting Championships in Stockholm, Sweden, Hepburn defeated the 1952 Olympic champion by a total of 10 kg. In 1954, he won the heavyweight title at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Vancouver. He then turned to professional wrestling and business.

Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (1953)
Lou Marsh ​Trophy (1953)
Canada’s Sp​orts Hall of Fame (1955)
BC Sports Hall of ​Fame (1966)