Legendary track and field coach Alex Gardiner announced as 2023 Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame inductee

The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame recently announced their 2023 inductees, which includes long-time Bisons track and field coach Alex Gardiner in the builders category. The formal ceremony will take place on November 2nd at the Victoria Inn.

Starting in 1974 at Arthur Day Junior High, Gardiner was a fixture in the coaching world. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Manitoba and started his track and field career as UM's track and field head coach from 1984-92. During those years, he guided the acclaimed program to six men's CIS national championships (four in T&F: 1988, '89, '90, '92 and two in Cross Country: 1988, '89).

Plus, Gardiner coached five Bisons athletes that performed in either the Olympics or World Championships and coached four other Bisons athletes who competed at either Commonwealth Games, Pan Am Games, FISU Games at the international level. 

His roster of athletes includes the likes of Cal Langford, Andre Smith, Tanya Brothers, and Colin Mathieson. In 2022, Gardiner was named to the Sport Manitoba Order of Excellence, the latest in a string of accolades that includes the Pat Gill Legacy Award and Coach of the Year honours from the CIS. 

On the international stage, Gardiner completed his tenure as the head coach for the Canadian Olympic Track & Field team at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, where Canada had their best athletics performance since 1992. In addition, the Winnipeg native was the Olympic head coach for the Canadian track and field team at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics and was part of three other Olympics for Canada 

At the World Championship, he was head coach of Canada's track and field team on four separate occasions (2003, '05, '09, '11) plus sprints and relay coach three other times (1991, '93, '01).