Richard Alfred Weiss (September 18, 1963 – June 25, 1997), known as Rich Weiss, was a

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-born,

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slalom kayaker who competed from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. He won a silver medal in the K1 event at the 1993 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Mezzana. Weiss also competed in two

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

, earning his best finish of sixth in the K1 event in

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1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

. His finish in the

1992 Olympics 1992 Olympics may refer to: *1992 Summer Olympics, which were held in Barcelona, Spain *1992 Winter Olympics The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Albertville '92 (Franco-Provença ...

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was mired in controversy when the television replay showed a judge's error cost him a bronze medal. Weiss was born in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, and earned a B.S. in Geological Engineering from the

Colorado School of Mines The Colorado School of Mines (Mines) is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1874, the school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on ener ...

, an M.S. in Hydrogeology from

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, and a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

. He founded and owned an environmental consulting company, Weisswater Associates.John F. Russell, Steamboat Today
''Weiss made waves''
July 27, 2008. Retrieved June 23, 2015. He drowned in a

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

accident on the

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in 1997. Preparing for a race with a friend, he unsuccessfully attempted to run Big Brother, a Class-V rapid with a 30-foot waterfall. His wife, Rosi, gave birth soon afterwards to a boy whom she named "River". The accidental death of a world-class paddler was the subject of much reflection and soul-searching in the whitewater community. The town of

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dedicated a park, with a statue, in his honor.Jon Libid, Steamboat Today
Forever immortalized
June 10, 2001. Retrieved June 23, 2015. Richieweiss

World Cup individual podiums

References

*
Sports-reference.com profile
1963 births 1997 deaths American male canoeists Canoeists at the 1992 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic canoeists for the United States Emigrants from West Germany to the United States Medalists at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships Canoeing deaths Deaths by drowning in Washington (state) 20th-century American sportsmen {{US-canoe-bio-stub

World Cup individual podiums

See also

References