Bruce Pirnie’s brilliant shotputting career is one that will be hard to equal. His huge build carried him to many triumphs through his throwing career.

After winning many provincial championships, Pirnie was selected to a world “All Star” International Amateur Athletic Federation team in 1971. From this time on, he never looked back. Not only did he participate in the 1972 Olympics, but he was also selected captain of the Track & Field team.

The medals started to come in 1973 when he won a silver medal at the Pacific Conference Games. He followed this up by winning a bronze medal at the 1974 Commonwealth Games held in New Zealand. His first international win may have been his biggest as he won the gold at the Pan Am Games in Mexico City in 1975. During these years he also ruled the Canadian shotputting scene including a record toss of 19.88 metres in 1975. Pirnie was again named captain of the Olympic Track & Field team in 1976 as Canada hosted the summer Olympics for the first time, in Montreal.

In 1979, Pirnie retired from the national team as a competitor, but his involvement was far from finished. He was named to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Track & Field Association as a former athlete representative. He entered coaching as the University of Manitoba’s High Performance Centre’s throwing coach.

In his involvement with basketball over the years, he served as Vice-President of the Manitoba Basketball Association and President of the Norwood Basketball Club. He coached provincial women’s select teams and in 1983 was named the OV award winner as the year’s Outstanding Volunteer in amateur sports.

Bruce Pirnie left a legacy that will be difficult to match by any future Manitoba elite shotputters.