Egon Beiler

Biography

Considered one of Canada’s best all-time wrestlers, freestyler Egon Beiler made his Olympic debut for Canada at Munich 1972 where he was eliminated in the second round in the bantamweight division. At Montréal 1976, he was eliminated in the third round of the featherweight division. Beiler was named to the Moscow 1980 team but did not attend due to the boycott.

Beiler’s successful decade-long international wrestling career included winning two back-to-back featherweight gold medals at the Commonwealth Games (1974, 1978) and two Pan American Games medals (1975 featherweight gold, 1979 lightweight bronze). The holder of 11 national open titles from 1971-80 in both freestyle and Greco-Roman styles, in addition to three CIAU titles (1974, 1975, 1977), Belier won medals at the 1975 (silver) and 1976 (gold) World Cups.

Beiler started wrestling in high school and then competed at the University of Waterloo, before switching to the University of Western Ontario’s top notch wrestling program to train with coach Glynn Leyshon in 1975. He obtained a physical education degree from Lakehead University and a Bachelor’s of Science degree and Doctor of Dental Science degree from Western. After graduating Beiler coached at the University of Waterloo and then returned to competition in a bid to make the Los Angeles 1984 team, but a neck injury nine weeks before the trials ended that attempt. Beiler settled in Kitchener and began practicing dentistry in 1981. He married his wife Carol, a dental hygienist, and together they had five children, including twin boys who were both elite gymnasts. 

Beiler was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983, University of Waterloo Warriors Hall of Fame in 1984, Canadian Amateur Wrestling Association Hall of Fame in 1989, Western “W” Club Hall of Fame in 1996, Western Mustangs Hall of Fame in 2007 and Lakehead University Wall of Fame in 2009.