Billy Cooke (weightlifer)

Last updated

Billy Cooke
Personal information
NationalityBritish (Northern Irish)
Bornc.1933 [1]
Sport
Sport Weightlifting
Event
Middleweight
ClubBelfast Health Studios

Billy Cooke (born c.1933) is a former weightlifter and strongman from Northern Ireland, who represented Northern Ireland at the British Empire and Commmonwealth Games (now Commonwealth Games).

Biography

Cooke was a member of the Belfast Health Studios and at the 1958 All-Ireland championships, he won the Senior Mr Ireland title. [2]

Cooke represented the 1958 Northern Irish Team [3] at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales, [4] participating in the 75kg middleweight. [5]

After the Games in November 1958, Cooke retained his middleweight title at the Irish Weightlifting Championships. [6] In 1959 he finished runner-up in the Mr Great Britain competition and in June 1959, he left Belfast to take an appointment in Bermuda, where he would work as a physical training instructor in a prison. [1]

A winner of his class at the Mr Universe in Montreal, he returned home to Belfast in June 1961. [7] He had a long-time association with Buster McShane, one of Ireland's best known strongman. [8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Billy Cooke Off To Bermuda" . Belfast Telegraph. 30 June 1959. p. 12. Retrieved 14 November 2025– via British Newspaper Archive.
  2. ↑ "Disappointing day for Ulster weight-lifters" . Northern Whig. 2 June 1958. p. 7. Retrieved 14 November 2025– via British Newspaper Archive.
  3. ↑ "Northern Ireland Cardiff 1958". Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  4. ↑ "N.I. Empire Games Choices" . Northern Whig. 28 May 1958. p. 5. Retrieved 14 November 2025– via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ↑ "Weightlifting 75kg Combined - Men Cardiff 1958". Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved 14 November 2025.
  6. ↑ "Ulstermen lift three Irish titles" . Belfast Telegraph. 17 November 1958. p. 14. Retrieved 14 November 2025– via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ↑ "Billy Cooke coming home" . Ireland's Saturday Night. 15 April 1961. p. 5. Retrieved 14 November 2025– via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ↑ "Billy Cooke coming home" . Belfast Telegraph. 16 September 1961. p. 10. Retrieved 14 November 2025– via British Newspaper Archive.


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