Christopher Paul MacDonald (born 8 January 1960) is a New Zealand

sprint canoeist Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race canoes or kayaks on calm water. Overview Race categories vary by the number of athletes in the boat, the length of the course, and whether the boat is a canoe or kayak. Canoe sprints are som ...

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 international speed records in

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...

. Competing in three

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

, MacDonald won five medals. This included three golds (K-2 500 m:

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

; K-4 1000 m: 1984), one silver (K-2 1000 m: 1988), and one bronze (K-1 500 m: 1988). His five Olympic medals is the record for the second most Olympic medals won by a New Zealander, a record he shares with fellow canoeist Ian Ferguson, and equestrian Mark Todd. He also won six medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with three golds (K-1 500 m:

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

, K-2 500 m:

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, K-2 1000 m: 1987) and three silvers (K-2 500 m:

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

, 1987, K-2 10000 m:

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

). In retirement from professional competition, MacDonald has produced many television sports events and programmes including ''

Clash of the Codes Simon Barnett (born 23 March 1967) is a radio and television host and presenter in New Zealand. Barnett co-hosted the morning show on Christchurch radio station 92 More FM with Gary McCormick until 2018, and previously with Phil Gifford. He has ...

'' (the ultimate sporting challenge) and annually presents the Dragon Boat Festival. In the

1988 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1988 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countries. ...

, MacDonald was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to canoeing.

References

External links

* *
Biography at New Zealand Olympic Committee
* * * 1960 births 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 Olympic bronze medalists for New Zealand 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 {{NewZealand-Olympic-medalist-stub