Tom Parkinson

Though Thomas Parkinson first became involved in gymnastics at the relatively late age of 18, he quickly became a constant and prominent figure in his sport, known for his specialization in rings. He first competed with a Manchester YMCA team that competed for the Stockton Shield, then first appeared at the Men’s Individual Championship of Birmingham in which he placed 9th out of 26 competitors. Entering the same tournament in 1928, he placed 9th once again and was thus selected to represent his country at the 1928 Olympics on the men’s gymnastics team.

The following year, he would achieve his highest individual result, placing 4th in the Men’s Individual Championship, hosted in his hometown of Bolton. He joined the Bolton Lads Club in 1931 and was a member of the teams that won the national team title in 1933-34, and 1936. In 1932, Parkinson also competed at the Tailteann Games in Dublin, coming second to Arthur Whitford and winning silver medals in Horizontal and Parallel Bars. He remained active in gymnastics in the Bolton area up until 1948.