John Wilfrid Loaring was born in Winnipeg (Manitoba, Canada) before moving to Windsor (Ontario, Canada) in 1926. Known as a hurdler, John medaled at WOSSA and the Ontario and Dominion Track & Field meet, leading to his as a member of Team Canada for the Centennial Games in Melbourne (Australia).

In 1936, Loaring was a member of the Olympic team for the Berlin (Germany) Games, where he won a silver medal in the 400m hurdles with a time of 52.7; at the same games, he placed sixth in the 400m, posting a Canadian best and was the anchor for the 4x400m relay team that finished in fourth.

In 1938, John competed at the British Empire Games in Australia, where he won golds in 440-yard hurdles with a time of 52.9, a record that stood until 1966; the 4x100yards relay; and the 4x400yards relay.

During World War II, he enlisted with the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve and competed in the 1940 Navy and Marine Championships held in England, capturing three titles.

In 2017, the Windsor Open Track and Field Meet was renamed the Johnny Loaring Classic in recognition of his contributions to the sport of athletics and the community.

Outside of his competitions, he remained very loyal to the sport, as an official at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Kingston (Jamaica), as well as holding positions with the Canadian Olympic Association, the British Commonwealth Games Association, and the Amateur Athletics Association.

John was honoured with many awards, including the J.W. Davies Trophy as Canada’s Track & Field Athlete of the Year (1938); and inductions into the Canadian Amateur Athletic Hall of Fame (1956), the Windsor/Essex County Sports Hall of Fame (1981), the University of Western Ontario’s Athletic Hall of Fame (1978); and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame (2015).