Ken Wallace (canoeist)

Kenneth Maxwell Wallace, OAM[3] (born 26 July 1983) is an Australian sprint canoeist who has competed since the mid-2000s, winning gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics and at several World Championships.

Ken Wallace
Personal information
Full nameKenneth Maxwell Wallace
NicknameKenny
Born (1983-07-26) 26 July 1983 (age 40)[1]
Gosford, New South Wales
Height190 cm (6 ft 3 in)[2]
Weight91 kg (201 lb)[2]
Sport
ClubTugun Surf Life Saving Club, Currumbin Creek Canoe Club
PartnerLachlan Tame
Coached byJimmy Owens (2000 – current)
Medal record
Men's canoe sprint
Representing  Australia
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing K-1 500 m
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Beijing K-1 1000 m
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Rio de Janeiro K-2 1000 m
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2010 Poznań K-1 5000 m
Gold medal – first place 2013 Duisburg K-1 5000 m
Gold medal – first place 2014 Moscow K-1 5000 m
Gold medal – first place 2015 Milan K-1 5000 m
Gold medal – first place 2015 Milan K-2 500 m
Gold medal – first place 2017 Racice K-4 1000 m
Silver medal – second place 2013 Duisburg K-1 1000 m
Silver medal – second place 2014 Moscow K-2 1000 m
Silver medal – second place 2015 Milan K-2 1000 m
Bronze medal – third place 2009 Dartmouth K-1 500 m
Updated on 18 July 2018.

Career edit

Born in Gosford, New South Wales, Wallace originally competed in Ironman events and only switched to sprint racing at the age of sixteen. Two years later he was the K-1 1000 m Junior World Champion in Curitiba, Brazil.

Wallace was selected to represent Australia at the 2006 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary, where he placed fifth in the K-1 1000 m final.

In 2007, Wallace at the ICF World Championships held in Duisburg, Germany placed 4th in the K-1 1000m Final. This result qualified Australia a berth at the 2008 Olympic Games.

Wallace won two medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing with gold in the K-1 500 m and bronze in the K-1 1000 m events.[4] He also won two medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with a gold (K-1 5000 m: 2010) and a bronze (K-1 500 m: 2009).

He was awarded the Order of Australia in 2009.[5]

In February 2011, Wallace competed in the third season of the Channel Seven television series Australia's Greatest Athlete.

References edit

  1. ^ "Ken Wallace". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Ken Wallace". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  3. ^ "Wallace, Kenneth Maxwell – Medal of the Order of Australia". It's an Honour. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  4. ^ "Ken Wallace". corporate.olympics.com.au. Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  5. ^ "Ken Wallace". ICF – Planet Canoe. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2018.

External links edit

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Australian Athlete of the Year
2008 (with Heath Francis)
Succeeded by