From a young age, Larry Cain was a canoeing superstar. Introduced to the Burloak Canoe Club (then the Oakville Racing Canoe Club) at just 11, he developed quickly as a paddler—and soon began competing in all disciplines of the sport.
Cain’s coaches soon recognized him as having excellent potential as a sprinter, and encouraged him to specialize in the 500 and 1,000-metre races. He naturally excelled at this distance, which he would later demonstrate on the world stage.
In 1976, Cain remembers watching John Wood, the famed Canadian canoeist, win a silver medal in the 500-metre race at the Montreal Olympics. At this moment, he realized that this would be his goal in life—a dream that he ultimately achieved. Just three years later, he earned a place on the national canoeing team, and in 1981, he became the junior world champion and the first Canadian in over 40 years to win a gold medal in canoeing at the international level.
That same year, Cain competed at the Senior World Championships, where he qualified for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. There, he acted as the leader of the Canadian canoeing team, and brought home two medals: the silver in the C1 1,000-metre race, and the gold in the C1 500-metre. With this, he became the first Canadian to win a gold medal in canoeing since Frank Amyot’s 1936 victory.
Cain’s career continued until 1996, when he announced his retirement. Over his seventeen-year National Team career, he competed in three Olympic Games, two Junior Worlds, and 10 World Championships in sprint canoe—as well as countless world cup events. Following these triumphs, he raced dragon boat at five World Championships, winning seven gold medals. He also raced outrigger, completing 5 Molokai to Oahu crossings.
For his decorated career, Cain was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1984, and in 1997, he was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. Additionally, a trail along the Oakville waterfront has been named for the athlete, who frequently trained there. He continues to remain a proud member of the Oakville community, coaching High Performance Canoeing at Burloak Canoe Club.
Cain retired as a teacher at St Mildred’s Lightbourne school and has parlayed his knowledge and love of sport into a training and coaching business, “Paddle Monster.” He continues to mount stand up paddle board podiums around the world as a sponsored athlete.
