Francis Amyot (September 14, 1904 – November 21, 1962) was a Canadian

sprint canoeist Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race in specially designed sprint canoes or sprint kayaks on calm water over a short distance. Prior to November 2008, canoe sprint was known as flatwater racing. The term is still in use today ...

who competed in the 1930s. He won Canada's only gold medal at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...

Biography

Amyot was born in

Thornhill, Ontario Thornhill is a suburban district in the Regional Municipality of York in Ontario, Canada. The western portion of Thornhill is within the City of Vaughan and its eastern portion is within the City of Markham, Ontario, Markham, with Yonge Street ...

. On June 18, 1933 he saved

Ottawa Rough Riders The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded on September 19, 1876. Formerly one of the oldest and longest-lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup cham ...

Dave Sprague and

Eddie Bond Eddie Bond (July 1, 1933 – March 20, 2013) was an American singer and guitarist who was active in country music and rockabilly. Biography In the mid-1950s, Bond recorded for Mercury Records and toured with Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry ...

from

drowning Drowning is a type of Asphyxia, suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Submersion injury refers to both drowning and near-miss incidents. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where othe ...

, when their canoe overturned on Lake Deschenes. Amyot won Canada's only gold medal at the

in the C-1 1000m canoeing event. This proved embarrassing to Canadian officials who had refused to pay his way. In 1936, Britannia Boating Club raised money for Frank Amyot's Olympic Fund campaign. When he won the 1000 meter championship in the 1936 Olympic Games, Frank Amyot of BYC raced the Canadian canoe, which is different from the type of canoe he had raced in

Canadian Canoe Association Canoe Kayak Canada () is the governing body of competitive canoeing and kayaking disciplines in Canada. The three specific disciplines represented are flatwater, whitewater and marathon. Canoe Kayak Canada officially replaced the name "Canadian ...

meets. Although he had seen blueprints, Amyot paddled the Canadian canoe for the first time during the final training stages in Germany. On July 18, 1942, Lieutenant Frank Amyot attended a meeting of 17 Britannia Boating Club members, in army and civilian war jobs during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, at Holborn Restaurant in

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. When his body was examined by medical personnel during an autopsy, they found cancer all over his body, which they believe is the cause of his death.

Legacy

Amyot was inducted into the

Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame The Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame is an honour roll of the top Canadian Olympic athletes, teams, coaches, and builders (officials, administrators, and volunteers). It was established in 1949. Selections are made by a committee appointed by the Cana ...

in 1949 and

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, it serves as a hall of fame and mu ...

in 1955. In 1964, the

Britannia Yacht Club The Britannia Yacht Club (BYC) is a private social club, yacht club, and tennis club based in Britannia, a neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1887 by a group of cottagers. The BYC is located on an extension of land at ...

presented the Frank Amyot Memorial Trophy awarded to Junior Men C-15 Canoe Kayak Canada Canadian Sprint Canoe Kayak Championships, in loving memory of Frank Amyot, a life member of the club, Olympic Single Blade Singles C-1 Gold Medallist (1936), and distinguished member of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.Canoe Kayak Canada trophies Canadian Sprint Canoe Kayak Championships
In 2012, the

stairwell featured a display with a photo of Frank Amyot and a collection of his trophies. Britannia Yacht Club stairwell with Frank Amyot photo and trophies

Britannia Yacht Club stairwell with Frank Amyot photo and trophies

References

Frank Amyot Canadian Encyclopedia
*Wallechinsky, David and Jaime Loucky (2008). "Canoeing: Men's Canadian Singles 1000 Meters". In ''The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition''. london: Aurum Press Limited. p. 479. {{DEFAULTSORT:Amyot, Frank 1904 births 1962 deaths Canadian male canoeists Canoeists at the 1936 Summer Olympics Olympic canoeists for Canada Olympic gold medalists for Canada Olympic medalists in canoeing Medalists at the 1936 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Thornhill, Ontario Deaths from cancer in Ontario 20th-century Canadian sportsmen