Ian Gordon Ferguson (born 20 July 1952) is New Zealand's second most successful Olympian. He won four Olympic gold medals competing in K1, K2, and K4

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...

events, and attended five Summer Olympics between

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and

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

. He also won two canoe sprint world championship titles.

Early life and family

Ferguson was born in

Taumarunui Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kuiti and 55 km west of ...

on 20 July 1952, the son of Gilbert and Winsome Ferguson. He was educated at

Palmerston North Boys' High School Palmerston North Boys' High School is a traditional boys school located in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Location Palmerston North Boys' High School has a campus located on Featherston Street between Rangitikei and North Streets in the central ...

, and was an all-round sportsperson, achieving in running and

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

, and becoming the school swimming champion. Ferguson studied at

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

, completing a

Bachelor of Commerce and Administration A Bachelor of Commerce (abbreviated BComm or BCom; also, ''baccalaureates commercii'') is an undergraduate degree in business, usually awarded in Canada, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Ireland, New Zealand, Ghana, South Africa, Myanmar, ...

degree in 1976. In 1973, Ferguson married his wife, Alyson, and the couple went on to have two children.

Sporting career and honours

At the 1984 Olympic Games in

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he won three gold medals. In the same year he was named New Zealand sportsperson of the year. In the

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, Ferguson was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, for services to canoeing. New Zealand's flagbearer at the opening ceremony of the

1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly known as Seoul 1988 ( ko, 서울 1988, Seoul Cheon gubaek palsip-pal), was an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October ...

, he went on to win another gold medal and a silver medal at that Olympic Games in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

. He was the first New Zealander to compete in five Olympic Games and his four gold medals was the New Zealand record for an individual haul at the Games until beaten by fellow canoeist

Lisa Carrington Dame Lisa Marie Carrington (born 23 June 1989) is a flatwater canoeist and New Zealand's most successful Olympian, having won a total of five gold medals and one bronze medal. She won three consecutive gold medals in the Women's K1 200metres a ...

in 2021. His five Olympic medals is the second-highest number of Olympic medals won by a New Zealander, a record he shares with fellow canoeist

Paul MacDonald Christopher Paul MacDonald (born 8 January 1960) is a New Zealand sprint canoeist who competed from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s. He is widely regarded as one of New Zealand's most successful international athletes and holds innumerable ...

and equestrian Mark Todd.

Post professional sports

In 1990 Ferguson started a kayak retail and hire business named Ferg's Kayaks. Ferguson also starred in the NZ TV show '' Clash of the Codes'', having been in the winning team on two occasions. In 2009, Ferguson began fronting a campaign to build an international whitewater canoeing stadium in

Manukau City Manukau City was a territorial authority district in Auckland, New Zealand, that was governed by the Manukau City Council. The area is sometimes referred to as "South Auckland", although this term never possessed official recognition and does ...

. Vector Wero Whitewater Park was opened in 2016, with Ferguson as general manager. Ferguson's son,

Steven Ferguson Steven Sean Ferguson (born 8 May 1980) is a sprint canoeist, surf lifesaver and former swimmer from New Zealand. Ferguson was born in Auckland, New Zealand, the son of four-time Olympic gold medal-winning canoeist Ian Ferguson. Steven Fer ...

, has also represented New Zealand at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, both in canoeing and swimming events.

References

* *
Profile on New Zealand Olympic Committee
* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Ian 1952 births Canoeists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1980 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1984 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Living people New Zealand male canoeists Olympic canoeists of New Zealand Olympic gold medalists for New Zealand Olympic silver medalists for New Zealand People from Taumarunui People educated at Palmerston North Boys' High School Olympic medalists in canoeing New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in kayak Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics