Paul MacDonald

Paul MacDonald was a key figure in the small but effective New Zealand canoeing force of the 1980s. He won three Olympic gold medals plus a silver and a bronze and won three world titles. He and Ian Ferguson were a dominant and determined pair at canoeing regattas through the 80s – they won the k2 500m in Los Angeles and Seoul, and combined with Grant Bramwell and Alan Thompson to win the k4 title in 1984. Their careers continued through to the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, when they were still good enough to make the final of the k2 1000m. MacDonald took over the k1 from Ferguson in 1987 when he won the world title and he was third at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. MacDonald also represented New Zealand in surf lifesaving and captained a world surf lifesaving team in 1985.