The son of Gordon Gayford, an international equestrian for Canada, Tom Gayford joined the national team in the late 1940s and made his first appearance for the country at the 1952 Summer Olympics, but failed to finish the three-day event. His first major international victory came at the 1959 Pan American Games, where he won the three-day event alongside brothers Jim and Norman Elder. His next stop was the 1960 Summer Olympics, where he again failed to finish the three-day event.
Gayford and Jim Elder banded together with Jim Day and formed a show jumping trio that won bronze in the team event at the 1967 Pan American Games. They were then selected for the 1968 Summer Olympics, where they took gold in the team event, and followed their success up with victories at the 1970 World Championships and the 1971 Pan American Games (where Day was replaced by Torchy Millar and the non-Olympian Barbara Simpson). Gayford retired prior to the 1972 Summer Olympics and took up coaching, judging, and course designing, and designed the jumping course at the 1976 Games in Montreal. He was also head of the national show jumping team from 1978 through 1996. He has been inducted into Canada’s Sports (1968) and the Canadian Olympic (1971) Halls of Fame.
Canada