ATHLETE – WRESTLING – INDUCTED IN 2011
After winning the provincial high school title in 1971, Clive Llewellyn followed with Canadian under-18 and under-20 championships. He excelled with Canada’s junior team, placing seventh at the World Under-18 and fifth at the World Under-20 Championships.
Llewellyn continued his winning ways at the University of Western Ontario, claiming three consecutive Ontario and Canadian university wrestling titles (1973-75) and helping Western win two provincial titles.
At his first senior worlds in 1975, Llewellyn finished eighth. That same year at the Pan Am Games, Llewellyn won four straight matches, three by pin, to reach the final. It took a former world champion, American Lloyd Keaser, to deny Llewellyn the gold.
While completing his Masters degree, Llewellyn won a fourth Canadian university title and wrestled for Canada at the World University Games.
He won back-to-back national titles in 1975 and 1976, earning the opportunity to represent Canada at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. He was eliminated after being edged 7-5 in his second match.
Llewellyn again competed on home soil at the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton where, despite being injured, he finished fourth.
He won his third Canadian championship in 1980 and was again named to the Olympic team. However, he didn’t get to compete when Canada boycotted the Games in Moscow.
Llewellyn retired in 1982, but remained heavily involved in the sport. He founded three wrestling clubs in Calgary, including the Calgary Rebels Wrestling Society – the name being a nod to his days at Georgetown District High School.
He served as the president of Wrestling Canada from 2007-2011 and was awarded the Silver Star by the International Amateur Wrestling Federation for his service to the sport.
Llewellyn was inducted in the Western Mustangs Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Wrestling Canada Hall of Fame as a builder in 2015.