Firestyle Magazine Issue 1 - Autumn 2015 | Page 53

SPORT Retired firefighter wins gold at World Police and Firefighter Games A retried firefighter from Warrington has brought home 10 medals from The World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) after spending 11 days in Washington DC competing. Dave Gill, who lives in Warrington, moved through the ranks from firefighter to Station Manager and served with Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service for almost 30 years before retiring in June 2010. He won seven gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal over a tough seven day period on the track at the WPFG. He moved to the roads at the end of the games to take part in a a half marathon. Dave, who is currently flying back from the States, said: “I had to break three personal bests to win the 800m, 1500m and 5,000m races. My last day of competition was the half marathon, where I ended up with a hard fought individual silver medal, and a team gold. It was hard running in the heat and humidity but well worth it.” The games involve more than 67 countries and over 15,000 participants compete across 50 sports. It is the second biggest sporting event after the Olympics. The WPFG is an event for serving and retired police, fire, prison and border security officers. The next WPFG will take place in Montréal, from July 28 to August 6, 2017. 53