Jon Lugbill
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's canoe slalom | ||
Competitor for  United States
| ||
| World Championships | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 1979 Jonquière | C-1 |
| | 1979 Jonquière | C-1 team |
| | 1981 Bala | C-1 |
| | 1981 Bala | C-1 team |
| | 1983 Meran | C-1 |
| | 1983 Meran | C-1 team |
| | 1985 Augsburg | C-1 team |
| | 1987 Bourg St.-Maurice | C-1 |
| | 1987 Bourg St.-Maurice | C-1 team |
| | 1989 Savage River | C-1 |
| | 1989 Savage River | C-1 team |
| | 1991 Tacen | C-1 team |
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 1985 Augsburg | C-1 |
Jon Phillip Lugbill (born May 27, 1961 in Wauseon, Ohio) is widely considered to be the greatest whitewater canoe slalom racer ever. During the 1980s, he dominated international racing in Men's Individual C-1 (a decked canoe, similar to a kayak). He is the only slalom racer to ever appear on the Wheaties box. He revolutionized the sport while producing innovations in paddling technique and boat design.
Jon started canoeing in the 1970s in the Washington, D.C. area. He often trained daily in his C-1 using slalom gates set up on a feeder canal next to the Potomac River near Great Falls. During the winter, Jon and his fellow paddlers also trained in the David Taylor Model Basin. He and some other fellow racers (notably David Hearn) developed new designs of low volume decked canoes, using nylon, kevlar and fiberglass cloths mixed with epoxy resin.
In 1979, Jon won the C-1 men's individual World Championship in canoe slalom at the first World Championships to be held on the North American continent at Jonquière (Canada). This was the first time an American had won a gold medal in the world canoe slalom championships. Jon went on to win gold in his category several more times; 1981 at Bala (Wales), 1983 at Meran (Italy), 1987 at Bourg St. Maurice (France), and 1989 at the Savage River (USA). In 1985 at Augsburg (then in West Germany), Lugbill had to settle for the silver medal after David Hearn bested him for the gold. Lugbill also won seven consecutive world championship gold medals in the C-1 team event (1979-1991). His older brother Ron was part of the gold medal winning C-1 team in 1981.
Lugbill won three consecutive overall world cup titles in the C-1 category including the inaugural edition in 1988.
During the peak of Lugbill's career, whitewater canoeing was not included on the competition program of the Summer Olympic Games. His only appearance on the Olympic stage came in 1992, when the sport returned to the Olympics after a 20-year absence. On the man-made course in La Seu d'Urgell, Spain, Lugbill placed fourth after being assessed for a five-second gate touch penalty at Gate 23 during his first run.
Jon Lugbill now serves as the Executive Director of Richmond Sports Backers, and resides in Richmond, Virginia. He has two daughters, Kelly and Stephanie.
Jon lived in Archbold, Ohio until he was three years old. Then he moved to Vienna and then Fairfax, Virginia. He attended Lanier Intermediate School in Fairfax and Oakton High School. He graduated from the University of Virginia.
References
- FFCK.org information on ICF World Championship medalists.
- ICF medalists for Olympic and World Championships - Part 2: rest of flatwater (now sprint) and remaining canoeing disciplines: 1936-2007.
- Sports-reference.com profile
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