Memorable Manitobans: James “Jim” Trifunov (1903-1993)

Wrestler and wrestling administrator.

Born at Regina, Saskatchewan in 1903, he won ten Canadian wrestling championships between 1923 and 1932 and wrestled in the 1924, 1928, and 1932 Olympics, winning a bronze medal in 1928. He was transferred to Winnipeg by the Sifton Publishing Company in the 1930s. In 1967 he organized the Pan-Am wrestling championships, and he subsequently lobbied for a permanent home for the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, of which he is a member. He received a Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal (1977) and was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (1953), Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (1960), and the Order of Canada (1981).

Sources:

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 20 May 2025

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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