David Watson Ford (born March 23, 1967, in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian slalom canoeist who has competed since the mid-1980s and is still actively competing. He is Canada's most successful slalom paddler.

David Ford
Personal information
Born (1967-03-23) March 23, 1967 (age 57)
Edmonton, Alberta
Medal record
Men's canoe slalom
Representing  Canada
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1999 La Seu d'Urgell K1
Silver medal – second place 2003 Augsburg K1

Career

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Ford has won two medals in the K1 event at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships. In 1999 he became the first non-European to win the World Championship title.[1] Ford followed up with a World Championship silver in 2003. In 2003 he also won the overall World Cup title in K1.[2] He was named Male Athlete of the Year at the 2003 Canadian Sport Awards, and was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.[1]

Ford has competed in five Summer Olympics, earning a fourth-place finish in the K1 event in Athens in 2004. He had a sixth-place finish in the same event in 2008 in Beijing. Ford could not get a sixth appearance in the 2012 Summer Olympics, as of his elbow tendons had ruptured prior to the qualifier, and with no time for the required surgery, countless injections were unable to produce an adequate result for him to paddle to his abilities.[3]

World Cup individual podiums

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      Total
K1 5 1 8 14
Season Date Venue Position Event
1991 6 July 1991 Augsburg 3rd K1
1992 7 June 1992 Merano 1st K1
1995 1 October 1995 Ocoee 3rd K1
1998 2 August 1998 Wausau 3rd K1
2001 5 August 2001 Prague 3rd K1
2002 26 May 2002 Guangzhou 3rd K1
28 July 2002 Tacen 3rd K1
15 September 2002 Tibagi 1st K1
2003 11 May 2003 Penrith 1st K1
3 August 2003 Bratislava 3rd K1
2004 30 May 2004 Merano 2nd K1
2005 27 August 2005 Kern River 1st K11
2006 20 August 2006 Madawaska 1st K11
2009 3 August 2009 Kananaskis 3rd K11
1 Pan American Championship counting for World Cup points

Personal life

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On April 25, 2009, Ford married Canadian alpine skier Kelly VanderBeek. They have a son, Cooper.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b Beck, Jason. "David Ford". BCSportsHallofFame.com. BC Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  2. ^ "David Ford". canoekayak.ca. Canoe Kayak Canada. Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  3. ^ David Ford: Whitewater trailblazer
  4. ^ Kingston, Gary. "David Ford refuses to hang up his paddle". vancouversun.com. Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2014.