John Beedell (February 14, 1933 – December 18, 2014) was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

-born,

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

sprint canoer who competed in the late 1950s into the early 1960s. He competed for Canada at the

1958 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships The 1958 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Prague, Czechoslovakia. This event was held under the auspices of the International Canoe Federation. The men's competition consisted of four Canadian (single paddle, open boat) and nine ka ...

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

and at the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics ( it, Giochi Olimpici estivi del 1960), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( it, Giochi della XVII Olimpiade) and commonly known as Rome 1960 ( it, Roma 1960), were an international multi-sport event held ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. He was eliminated, along with his doubles partner

Joseph Derochie Joseph Derochie (born July 25, 1939) is a Canadian sprint canoer who competed in the early 1960s. He was eliminated in the repechage round of the C-2 1000 m event, along with his doubles partner John Beedell, at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome ...

, in the repechage round of the Men's C-2 1000 metres event at 1960 Olympics. Beedell spent his early childhood in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and

British Guyana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...

. In British Guyana he contracted

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

and was sent to live in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

while recovering. His family joined him in Canada in 1941, and Beedell lived there for the rest of his life. He attended Queen's University but dropped out after his first year in the

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

program. He was married in 1955. He and his wife Ann had three children: Michael, born in 1956; Jeffrey, born in 1958; and David, born in 1961. Beedell trained in

Sudbury, Ontario Sudbury, officially the City of Greater Sudbury is the largest city in Northern Ontario by population, with a population of 166,004 at the 2021 Canadian Census. By land area, it is the largest in Ontario and the fifth largest in Canada. It is a ...

as a runner and competitive canoer during this period, while holding a full-time job and helping to raise a family and made the 1958 World Championship and 1960 Olympic teams. After the Olympics, Beedell completed his teaching degree and became a science teacher at

Ashbury College Ashbury College is an independent day and boarding school located in the Rockcliffe Park area of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was originally founded in 1891 by former faculty of Bishop's College School in Quebec to accommodate BCS students livin ...

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. He also contributed to outdoor education by serving as director of the Ontario Camp Leadership Centre. He was an avid skier and runner, competing in more than 20 marathons around the world. In 1988 he suffered a serious brain injury as the result of a fall, which curtailed his physical and outdoor activities. He died in 2014, at the age of 81, after being struck by a school bus in the

New Edinburgh New Edinburgh is a neighbourhood in Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located to the northeast of the downtown core. It is bordered on the west by the Rideau River, to the north by the Ottawa River, to the south by Bee ...

neighbourhood of Ottawa.

References

External links

John Beedell's profile at Sports Reference.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beedell, John 1933 births 2014 deaths Accidental deaths in Ontario Canadian male canoeists Canoeists at the 1960 Summer Olympics New Zealand emigrants to Canada Olympic canoeists for Canada People with severe brain damage Road incident deaths in Canada Queen's University at Kingston alumni