James Zavitz

James Zavitz joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 1941 and soon discovered his penchant for pistol shooting. He made his international debut at the 1954 World Championships and, two years later, was selected to represent Canada at the 1956 Summer Olympics. There he finished 13th in a field of 33 competitors in the free pistol, 50 metres event and 25th among 35 shooters in the rapid-fire pistol, 25 metres. He was fifth in the individual pistol competition at the 1958 World Championships, but had better luck at his final international tournament, the 1959 Pan American Games, where he won a bronze medal in the 50 metres pistol team event. Among his many national titles were five as Canadian pistol champion, in 1953, 1955, 1959, 1961, and 1962.

Zavitz continued to compete through the 1960s and retired from the police force in 1970. He then spent the next two and a half decades as a Justice of the Peace in Ontario. In 2003 he self-published an autobiography entitled “Remembering My Life In The Royal Canadian Mounted Police 1941 – 1970.” He is a member of the Canadian Shooting Hall of Fame.