Heinz Poenn, Canadian Olympic slalom canoeist, Died at 82

  Sports

Heinz Poenn was born on September 11, 1934, in Fürth, Germany and died on October 23, 2016.

He was a Canadian slalom canoeist.

Poenn competed in the early 1970s.

Heinz finished 35th in the K-1 event at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

He emigrated to Canada in 1957.

Poenn was a long-time resident of Holland Landing, Ontario and owned a stainless steel manufacturing company in nearby Vaughan.

Poenn was a true pioneer in the sport of canoe slalom in Canada.

During 1965, Poenn was a member of the first Canadian team at the World Championships in Spittal, Austria.

Poenn competed in the Men’s K-1 at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games, when canoe slalom made its debut as an Olympic sport.

Heinz Poenn was later a National Team Coach and served on the International Canoe Federation Slalom Committee. He was instrumental in bringing the Slalom and Downriver World Championships to Jonquiere, Quebec in 1979.[3]

He helped to establish the Minden White Water Preserve on the Gull River in Ontario.

That site hosted canoe slalom events at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games, where Poenn was proudly in attendance.

Heinz Poenn passed away at 82 years old.