Gerald Ouellette

Biography

A two-time Olympian, Gerry Ouellette found his greatest success at Melbourne 1956 in his first major competition, shooting 60 consecutive bulls-eyes for a perfect score of 600 to capture the gold medal in the 50m rifle, prone (all while sharing a rifle with Canadian bronze medalist Gil Boa). He would have set a world record but the course was 1.50m short of the required 50m. Ouellette was 11th in the 300m rifle, three positions and 21st in the 50m rifle, three positions. At Mexico City 1968 Ouellette finished sixth in the 50 m rifle, three positions and 12th in the 50 m rifle, prone.

In 1959, Ouellette won the Canadian championships and brought home four medals from the Pan American Games winning one gold (300 m rifle, three positions), one silver (50 m rifle, three positions) and two bronzes (50 m rifle, kneeling and standing). He took a break from shooting returning in the late 1960s, capturing silver in the 50m rifle, three positions at the 1967 Pan American Games. 

Ouellette was introduced to shooting during his high school cadet training at W.D. Lowe School, sharpening his skills as a member of the Canadian Reserve Army. At 17, he won the junior and cadet service rifle championship of Canada and the following year he won the Lieutenant-Governor’s medal.

A tool designer by trade at Ford Motor Company, Ouellette’s wife Judy was also a shooter and they became the first husband and wife team to compete at the Bisley competition in the United Kingdom. Not only did Canada Post release a postage stamp in his honour in 1996, the Dominican Republic also issued a one centavo triangular stamp commemorating his Olympic triumph. Ouellette died at the age of 40 when the plane he was piloting crashed into a field near Leamington, Ontario, 25 miles east of Windsor. 

Ouellette was inducted into the Canadian Olympic (1957), Canada’s Sports (1957) and the Canadian Forces Sports (1971) Halls of Fame.