Adrian Richardson

Born in 1976, Adrian Richardson started sprint kayaking at 14 years old at the Rideau Canoe Club. His family moved to North Grenville in 1995 where he spent many hours training in front of his house paddling between Burritt’s Rapids Locks and Merlyn Wilson Bridge.In 1996 he earned a spot on the Canadian Canoe/Kayak Team and competed at his first international competition in Velence, Hungary. In 1997 Adrian teamed up with Nathan Luce and competed at the World Championships in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia where he placed 13th overall. In 1998 Adrian trained specifically for the solo event and set the fastest Canadian record for the 500m sprint event at the Canadian National Team Trials. That summer he competed at the World Championships in Szeged, Hungary and came fourth in the semi-finals in the 1000m Men’s K-1 event. In 1999 Adrian earned a bronze medal at the Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada. In addition to competing at the Pan Ams in 1999 he competed at the World Championships in Milan, Italy.  Adrian ended his paddling career on a high note by winning two gold medals at the 2001 World Canoe/Kayak Cup in Gainsville, Georgia. In addition to his achievement at the international level he has won over twenty top three finishes at the National Canoe/Kayak Championships.

Between 2003 and 2005 Adrian was Head Coach for the Rideau Canoe Club and took the opportunity to pass on the knowledge and skills he learned growing up. In 2004 Rideau Canoe Club athletes earned 13 gold medals at the Canadian Canoe/Kayak Championships and placed third overall. In 2005 along with his Head Coach duties he coached four athletes on the Canadian Team, two of them competed at the 2008 Olympics.