Richard Weiss
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2013) |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's canoe slalom | ||
Representing  United States
| ||
| World Championships | ||
 |
1993 Mezzana | K1 |
Richard Alfred Weiss (September 18, 1963 – June 25, 1997), known as Rich Weiss, was a West German-born, American slalom kayaker who competed from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. He won a silver medal in the K1 event at the 1993 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Mezzana.
Weiss also competed in two Summer Olympics, earning his best finish of sixth in the K1 event in Atlanta in 1996. His finish in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona was mired in controversy when the television replay showed a judge's error cost him a bronze medal.[1]
Weiss was born in Munich, and earned a B.S. in Geological Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines, an M.S. in Hydrogeology from Penn State University, and a Ph.D. in Geological Sciences at the University of British Columbia. He founded and owned an environmental consulting company, Weisswater Associates.[1]
He drowned in a kayaking accident on the White Salmon River in Washington state in 1997. Preparing for a race with a friend, he unsuccessfully attempted to run Big Brother, a Class-V rapid with a 30-foot waterfall.[2] His wife, Rosi, gave birth soon afterwards to a boy whom she named "River".[3] The accidental death of a world-class paddler was the subject of much reflection and soul-searching in the whitewater community.[4] The town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado dedicated a park, with a statue, in his honor.[5]
World Cup individual podiums
| Season | Date | Venue | Position | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 25 Aug 1991 | Minden | 1st | K1 |
| 1 Sep 1991 | Wausau | 2nd | K1 |
See also
List of Pennsylvania State University Olympians
References
- ^ a b John F. Russell, Steamboat Today, Weiss made waves, July 27, 2008. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ American Whitewater Accident Database, Accident 441, retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ John Trujillo, The Risks We Take, July 7, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ Angus Phillips, The Washington Post, QUESTIONS REMAIN OVER DEATH OF EXPERT PADDLER, July 15, 1997. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ^ Jon Libid, Steamboat Today, Forever immortalized, June 10, 2001. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
- ICF medalists for Olympic and World Championships – Part 2: rest of flatwater (now sprint) and remaining canoeing disciplines: 1936–2007 at WebCite (archived November 9, 2009)
- Sports-reference.com profile
  | This article about an American canoeist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1963 births
- 1997 deaths
- American male canoeists
- Canoeists at the 1992 Summer Olympics
- Canoeists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Deaths by drowning
- Olympic canoeists of the United States
- German emigrants to the United States
- Accidental deaths in Washington (state)
- Medalists at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships
- Canoeing deaths
- American canoeist stubs