Joseph Cook

Joseph Cook started his competitive gymnastics career at the turn of the 20th century. Having finished either second or third in the German Gymnastic Society tournament in successive years 1906-09, he captured the title in 1910. That same year he was chosen to represent England in the match against Scotland. In 1911, Cook, who was then the assistant secretary and treasurer of the Metropolitan and Southern Counties Gymnastics Association, finished second to Bradford’s Len Hanson in the English National Championship. He failed to retain his German GS title, however, when finishing second to local favourite E. Spitzmuller.

Having competed at the 1908 London Olympics, Cook was selected for his second Games in 1912 despite finishing third behind Edward Potts and Hanson at the British Championship that year. In Stockholm, however, he was a non-starter. Cook went to his third Olympics in 1928 as coach to the Great Britain squad. In 1932 he was appointed gymnastics instructor at the Acton Technical College in London and later took up a similar post in Devon. He was also a gymnastics judge.