John Edward Merricks (16 February 1971 – 15 October 1997) was an English

sailor A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship. The profession of the s ...

. He represented Great Britain at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, where he received the silver medal in the 470 class along with his sailing partner, Ian Walker. At the 1996 470 European Championships he and Walker won the silver medal. Merricks died in a car accident in Italy on 15 October 1997. He and Walker were passengers in a minivan when the driver lost control.

Wallechinsky, David David Wallechinsky (born David Wallace, February 5, 1948) is an American populist historian and television commentator, the president of the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) and the founder and editor-in-chief of AllGov.com and ...

(2004). ''The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics'',

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

: Sport Classic Books. A lake at Watermead Park is named after him.

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* * * 1971 births 1997 deaths Sportspeople from Leicester Olympic sailors for Great Britain English male sailors (sport) Sailors at the 1996 Summer Olympics – 470 Olympic silver medallists for Great Britain Road incident deaths in Italy Olympic medalists in sailing 470 class sailors Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics 420 class world champions World champions in sailing for Great Britain {{England-yachtracing-bio-stub