When heavyweight boxer Clarence Hill captured bronze at the 1976 Summer Olympic Games in Montreal, he became the first Bermudian to ever win a medal at the quadrennial competition, and the island became the least populous jurisdiction to do so.
Mr Hill’s solo status stood for 45 years before Dame Flora Duffy claimed gold in the women’s triathlon at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
They remain Bermuda’s only Olympic medallists.
Mr Hill won two fights at Montreal’s Maurice Richard Arena, named after the legendary Canadian hockey player.
The powerful 25-year-old southpaw recorded a third-round technical knockout against Parviz Badpa of Iran in the round of 16 before beating Rudy Gauwe of Belgium, 5-0 on points, in a quarter-final bout.
Advancing to a semi-final held on Cup Match Thursday, Mr Hill was handicapped by a severely inflamed left arm and was beaten on points by Mircea Simon of Romania.
Speaking to The Royal Gazette afterwards, Mr Hill said: “Man, I couldn’t make a fist properly with either hand. The two hard fights in two days have left their marks.”
Pre-Games favourite Teofilo Stevenson of Cuba defeated John Tate of the United States in the other semi-final before despatching Mr Simon in the gold medal fight.
Mr Hill and Mr Tate, as beaten semi-finalists, were each awarded bronze in a ceremony at the Montreal Forum.
“We are as proud as punch of the way Clarence has represented Bermuda,” his coaches Gary Smith and parliamentarian Stanley Morton told the Gazette.
Mr Morton added: “A bronze medal has never been more richly deserved.”
Mr Hill was among six athletes chosen by the Bermuda Olympic Association to represent the island at the competition’s closing ceremony.
Hero’s welcome
Bermuda’s Olympians returned home to a tumultuous reception on August 2.
In a front-page story accompanied by a photo of Mr Hill and his mother, the Gazette reported: “Over 300 persons crammed the passenger exit at the Civil Air Terminal yesterday afternoon to give one of the warmest receptions ever seen in Bermuda to the Bermuda Olympic team and officials.
“Parading with colourful banners bearing phrases like ‘Good Show in Montreal — Go Gold in Moscow, 1980’, the crowd gave a hearty roar when the local Olympians walked out of the airport.
“The first to exit was heavyweight boxing hero Clarence Hill, wearing his bronze medal on his chest — the first Bermuda has ever won.
“Immediately the crowd surged forward, and small children began climbing all over the huge boxer trying to touch the large shining medal.
“A smiling and obviously happy Clarence Hill walked out with his two favourite women on his arms — his mother Mrs Ruth Talbot and girlfriend Miss Dianne Simmons. He had only taken a few steps and that was about as far as he could go before the crowd of well-wishers thronged around him.”
Mr Hill told the Gazette: “It is really nice. There is a lot of people here.”
The official delegation who welcomed the athletes included Acting Premier, Quinton Edness; Acting Leader of the Opposition, Walter Roberts; parliamentarians Ernest Vesey, Sir John Swan and Ernest DeCouto; and Miss Bermuda, Vivienne Hollis.
All-time great
Mr Hill was born in Bermuda, but it was only after a move to Newark, New Jersey, that he took up the sport, aged 11, inspired by the ring craft of legendary heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali.
Returning to the island, Mr Hill trained at the Pembroke Youth Centre, as it was then, on Angle Street, under Stanley Trimm, and, after the Olympics, under Allan “Forty” Rego. PYC was also the training ground for Bermudian professional boxers Troy Darrell and Quinn Paynter.
Mr Hill blazed through the amateur boxing ranks before travelling to Montreal. After continuing as an amateur following the Olympics, Mr Hill turned professional in 1980. He impressed with his knockout power before retiring in 1986.
Retired media executive Ulric “Rick” Richardson was a television news and sports reporter at Bermuda Broadcasting Company during Mr Hill’s heyday.
He told Bermudian History: “At the peak of his boxing prowess, Clarence Hill was physically menacing and technically sound. He deservedly ranked amongst the world’s top heavyweights.
“Clarence, nicknamed ‘Shaft’, had a cultlike following here on island. On fight night, I vividly remember following the customary march of devoted boxing fans as they left the Pembroke Youth Centre chanting ‘PYC’ and calling Hill’s name enroute to BAA gymnasium.
“Once they arrived, the floor of the gym virtually shook as fans stamped and shouted non-stop.”
Mr Hill’s status as one of the island’s greatest ever athletes was recognised in 2005 when he was inducted into the Bermuda Sports Hall of Fame. The audience gave an emotional Mr Hill a prolonged standing ovation at the induction ceremony held at the Fairmont Southampton Princess hotel.
In 2017, Mr Hill was invited to act as the grand marshal of the Bermuda Day Parade by the Department of Culture.
Two years later, the PYC was renamed the Sammy Wilson Central Zone Community Centre, and the facility’s gym became The Clarence Hill Multipurpose Gymnasium.
Outside the ring, Mr Hill has fought several personal battles, and late last year faced the prospect of homelessness after losing his government-owned accommodation during a lengthy hospital stay for treatment of a serious heart ailment.
His son, Jamaka Kamal, rallied support for 74-year-old Mr Hill, setting up a Go Fund Me page to raise money for his father to move to Britain on a permanent basis. At press time, some £6,283 pounds had been raised.
Providing an update in December, Mr Kamal wrote: “Because of your generosity, I’ve been able to take a major step forward. I’ve just moved into a two-bedroom home that will soon become my father’s safe space and sanctuary.
“It has all the amenities he’ll need, a beautiful garden, a big kitchen and spacious rooms where he can finally rest, heal and live with dignity.”
Mr Kamal’s efforts to organise a move to Britain for his father were in progress at press time.
