Don Oliver
Donald Carthew Oliver was a New Zealand weightlifter and fitness centre founder.
He won the gold medal at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in the men's 110 kg division. At the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games he won the silver medal in the same division.
He represented New Zealand at three Olympic Games in the heavyweight division. At the 1960 Summer Olympics Oliver lifted a combined weight of 425 kgs and finished in 13th place, four years later in Tokyo at the 1964 Summer Olympics he lifted 480 kgs and finished in 9th place, in his last Olympics Oliver had his best finish lifting 490 kgs and finishing in 8th place at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico, where he was also the flagbearer.
At the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, Oliver was the New Zealand weightlifting team coach.
Oliver was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1981 Queen's Birthday Honours for services to weightlifting and the community. He owned six gyms in Auckland and started his own brand of fitness equipment. He was a personal trainer to several All Blacks, including Michael Jones, Eroni Clarke, Va'aiga Tuigamala and Craig Dowd.
He died of cancer in Auckland in 1996.
