John's Story
Kayaker John Southwood, from Orange in New South Wales, competed at Mexico City 1968, Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976. At his first Olympics he made the semi-finals in the K2 1000 metres, with Adrian Powell. Four years later, at Munich, he was the top-ranked member of the canoeing team and again made the semi-finals, this time in the K1 1000 metres.
Montreal was his best Olympic regatta where he made the semi-finals in the K2 1000 metres, again with Adrian Powell. With John Sumegi in the K2 500 metres he finished eighth in the final.
During his career Southwood won over 20 national tiles and attended the 1970 world championships in Copenhagen, Denmark where he finished an excellent seventh in the gruelling K1 10,000 metres event.
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