Frank Havens
Personal information
Full nameFrank Benjamin Havens
Born(1924-08-01)August 1, 1924
Arlington, Virginia, U.S.
DiedJuly 22, 2018(2018-07-22) (aged 93)
Harborton, Virginia, U.S.
Medal record
Men's canoe sprint
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1952 Helsinki C-1 10000 m
Silver medal – second place 1948 London C-1 10000 m

Frank Benjamin Havens (August 1, 1924[1] – July 22, 2018) was an American sprint canoeist who competed from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. He was born in Arlington, Virginia. Competing in four Summer Olympics, he won two medals in the C-1 10000 m event with a silver in 1948 and a gold in 1952.[1] In Havens' first shot in the 1948 Olympic games, he finished second to Capek by 35.4 seconds in a canoe he borrowed from the Czechs. In 1952 his world record was set in a canoe he and his brother, Bill, imported from Sweden for about $160. He is, as of 2022, the only American Olympic gold medal winner in a singles canoeing event.[2] He was a member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame[2] and an American Canoe Association Legend of Paddling.[3] He died in July 2018 at the age of 93.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Frank Havens". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
  2. ^ a b "HOF Inductees - Frank B. Havens". Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
  3. ^ "Legends of Paddling Award - ACA | Canoe - Kayak - SUP - Raft - Rescue". www.americancanoe.org. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  4. ^ "In Memory of Frank Havens". Archived from the original on 2019-04-13. Retrieved 2018-07-27.


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