A bronze medal won by Canada in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 is being celebrated at Westside BID, thanks to a strong local link.
Jillian Weir, from Kingston, Ontario, picked up her medal in the hammer competition after reaching an impressive 67.35m.
But not many people know that Jillian’s roots are in Birmingham: her father Robert Weir comes from the city and was one of the top-performing discus throwers in English history.
Robert, who went to Handsworth Grammar School, is a cousin-in-law of Westside BID’s business engagement officer Elaine Weir.
He won a gold medal for England in the hammer at the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia, then a bronze medal in the discus at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada.
Robert followed this up with a gold in the discus at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, and then a bronze in the discus at his final Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002.
He then emigrated to Canada, but has always kept in touch with his family back home in Brum.
Elaine, whose husband Jeff is Robert’s cousin, said: “We’ve always been proud of Robert’s history as an international athlete, and so to watch his daughter Jillian win bronze was amazing!
“What’s even more special about her medal is that Jillian couldn’t train for two weeks due to having Covid-19 and she barely made the finals, but still ended up on the podium.”
Jillian, who was 5th in the world championship earlier this year, has been trained by her father Robert, who back in 2000 was team captain for Great Britain at the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.
Elaine added: “To see them together again, father and daughter and both medal winners, was a lovely moment and we celebrated Jillian’s victory at a family barbecue. She still calls my husband uncle Jeff!”
Main picture: Elaine Weir (left) and her bronze-winning cousin-in-law Jillian Weir
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