From the young age of 10, John Wood showed great promise as a paddler. A member of the Mississauga Canoe Club and the Oakville Racing Canoe Club, Wood’s career would later find success on the international stage.
Wood’s first major success came in 1968, when he and partner Scott Lee upset the favourites to win the Canadian Olympic trials. With this victory under their belt, the pair went on to race in the C2 1,000-metre event at the 1968 Olympiad in Mexico City. The pair also raced in the 1972 Olympics in Munich, and advanced to the semi-finals before elimination.
Following this defeat, Wood made the decision to elevate his training to world level, spending 1973 and 1974 training in Hungary with some of the best paddlers across the globe. His efforts paid off; he took sixth place in the C1 1,000-metre race at the 1974 World Championships, fifth place in the C1 500-metre race at the 1975 World Championships, and second place in the C2 500-metre race at the 1977 World Championships with partner Greg Smith. In 1976, he won Canada’s first Olympic canoeing medal in over 20 years, taking second place in the C1 500 metre-race at the Montreal Olympics.
By his retirement in 1977, Wood had captured over 30 international racing medals—and over 100 medals in Canada. He later became a two-sport medalist by capturing a bronze medal in sailing at the 1979 Pan Am Games in Puerto Rico.
Following this, Wood worked as a CBC commentator for canoeing from 1980–1988, which included coverage of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
He also enjoyed a brief comeback to racing in 1985 by competing while wired for sound at the Canadian Nationals.
Wood blazed the trail for Canadian paddlers at a time when the Canadian team had been weak internationally. His dedication and success inspired others, and led to the future strong performance by Canadian Olympians such as Larry Cain, Renn Chrichlow, and Steve Giles.
Prior to his death in 2013, Wood continued to support the sport of canoeing through his service as a director of the Burloak Canoe Club, the Canadian Olympic Foundation (he was Chair from 1996–1999), and the Canadian Olympic Association Investment Committee (he was Chair in 2004).
