University of Toronto Athletics

George Orton was the dominant middle and long distance runner of his time. He was U of T champion in the mile and half-mile in 1891, and in 1892 he was Gold Medallist in the mile, half-mile and quarter-mile, all in U of T record times. In 1892, he set the Canadian mile record of 4:21.8 which lasted for 30 years. Orton was Canadian and U.S. mile champion in 1892-93, won four consecutive U.S. 1-mile titles and three consecutive 2-mile titles. He was captain of the Pennsylvania track team, and set numerous intercollegiate and national records in the U.S. He won the 1-mile race at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and was U.K. 2-mile steeplechase champion in 1898. By 1900, he had recorded 121 victories, including 31 in University, national, provincial or international competition and 15 U.S. national titles; he also had 27 second place finishes and 20 third place finishes.
 
On July 15, 1900 in Paris, Orton became the first Canadian to win an Olympic Gold Medal. Representing the University of Pennsylvania (at the time there were no national teams), he placed first in the 2500-metre steeplechase in a time of 7:34.4, and on the same day, he won a bronze medal in the 400-metre Hurdles (time of 58.5 seconds). Following the Olympics, he received an award from the King of Belgium for "Skill and Sportsmanship" at a ceremony in Brussels.