Ben Fouhy
Encyclopedia
Ben Fouhy is a New Zealand
flatwater canoer
who has been competing since the early 2000s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won the silver in the K-1 1000 m event at Athens
in 2004
.
The recipient of the 2003 Halberg Award
for NZ Sportsman of the Year, Fouhy has not since dropped out of the top 5 globally in his sport, and holds the world's fastest time in the K1 1000m event, which he achieved at a 2006 World Cup regatta in Poland.
After a handful of domestic wins Fouhy came out of nowhere to take the gold medal at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Gainsville, Georgia, USA, after which he won several Sportsperson of the Year titles including the coveted Halberg Award.
The following year, at the 2004 Athens Olympics, Fouhy achieved New Zealand’s first medal in Kayaking since the 1980s days of New Zealand’s most medaled Olympians, Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald.
Career highlight achievements include:
Gold Medal, Worlds fastest time in K1 1000m - 2006 World Cup regatta, Poland
Bronze Medal in K1 1000m - 2006 World Championships, Szeged, Hungary
Olympic Silver Medal in K1 1000m - 2004 Athens Olympics
Halberg Award - 2003 New Zealand Sportsman of the Year
World Champion K1 1000m - 2003 World Championships, Gainsville George
Bronze Medal in K1 marathon - 2005 World Marathon Championships, Perth
Gold Medal in K1 1000m & K1 500m - 2005 Australian National Championships, Sydney
Gold Medal in K1 1000m - 2004 NZ Sprint National Championships, Auckland
Gold Medal in K2 1000m - 2004 NZ Sprint National Championships, Auckland
Gold Medal in K1 1000m - 2004 English National Championships, Nottingham
Gold Medal in K1 1000m - 2003 World Cup regatta Poznan, Poland
Gold Medal in K1 1000m - 2003 NZ Sprint National Championships, Auckland
“Ben Fouhy is focused,” wrote Mark Longley of Player Magazine, “you can see it in his eyes. They burn with the intensity of a winner.”
Described by the media as candid and refreshingly honest, Fouhy displays the uniquely Kiwi willingness to communicate openly and honestly with the media and the public.
Despite such successes, kayaking has remained a comparatively low profile sport in New Zealand, making do with less funding, resources and attention than the more successful sports such as rowing.
However, the Beijing Olympics demonstrated a renaissance in Kiwi kayaking, and although no medals were won, Ben and three other New Zealanders were finalists, including Erin Taylor, the first woman to represent New Zealand in kayaking at Olympic level.
As a result of these increased successes, kayaking has earned greater importance in SPARC’s high performance programme, meaning increased funding and resources in the hands of Canoe Racing New Zealand, the body responsible for supporting and developing our most prodigious paddling talent.
For the first time, CRNZ now employ a full time High Performance Manager, Wayne Maher, responsible for providing Ben and others with access to the best resources in equipment, nutrition and medical services – a development that frees Ben up to concentrate more singularly, and confidently, on training.
This significant improvement means that the coming years will provide the best training conditions in Ben’s career to date.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
flatwater canoer
Canoe racing
This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....
who has been competing since the early 2000s. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won the silver in the K-1 1000 m event at Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
in 2004
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
.
The recipient of the 2003 Halberg Award
Halberg awards
The Westpac Halberg awards recognise New Zealand's top sporting achievements.The annual award was started in 1949 by NZ Sportsman magazine founder Jack Fairburn...
for NZ Sportsman of the Year, Fouhy has not since dropped out of the top 5 globally in his sport, and holds the world's fastest time in the K1 1000m event, which he achieved at a 2006 World Cup regatta in Poland.
Career history
Fouhy began kayaking competitively in 2002, following a background in multi-sport events. He discovered an aptitude for paddling after increasing his kayak training to improve his overall multisport performance.After a handful of domestic wins Fouhy came out of nowhere to take the gold medal at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Gainsville, Georgia, USA, after which he won several Sportsperson of the Year titles including the coveted Halberg Award.
The following year, at the 2004 Athens Olympics, Fouhy achieved New Zealand’s first medal in Kayaking since the 1980s days of New Zealand’s most medaled Olympians, Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald.
Career highlight achievements include:
Gold Medal, Worlds fastest time in K1 1000m - 2006 World Cup regatta, Poland
Bronze Medal in K1 1000m - 2006 World Championships, Szeged, Hungary
Olympic Silver Medal in K1 1000m - 2004 Athens Olympics
Halberg Award - 2003 New Zealand Sportsman of the Year
World Champion K1 1000m - 2003 World Championships, Gainsville George
Bronze Medal in K1 marathon - 2005 World Marathon Championships, Perth
Gold Medal in K1 1000m & K1 500m - 2005 Australian National Championships, Sydney
Gold Medal in K1 1000m - 2004 NZ Sprint National Championships, Auckland
Gold Medal in K2 1000m - 2004 NZ Sprint National Championships, Auckland
Gold Medal in K1 1000m - 2004 English National Championships, Nottingham
Gold Medal in K1 1000m - 2003 World Cup regatta Poznan, Poland
Gold Medal in K1 1000m - 2003 NZ Sprint National Championships, Auckland
Personality
Fouhy is renowned for his focus and candour as a sportsperson.“Ben Fouhy is focused,” wrote Mark Longley of Player Magazine, “you can see it in his eyes. They burn with the intensity of a winner.”
Described by the media as candid and refreshingly honest, Fouhy displays the uniquely Kiwi willingness to communicate openly and honestly with the media and the public.
Kayaking Developments in New Zealand
Kayaking has had a rich history in New Zealand, especially during the Los Angeles and Seoul Olympics, at which Ian Ferguson and Paul MacDonald secured their places as New Zealand’s most medaled Olympians.Despite such successes, kayaking has remained a comparatively low profile sport in New Zealand, making do with less funding, resources and attention than the more successful sports such as rowing.
However, the Beijing Olympics demonstrated a renaissance in Kiwi kayaking, and although no medals were won, Ben and three other New Zealanders were finalists, including Erin Taylor, the first woman to represent New Zealand in kayaking at Olympic level.
As a result of these increased successes, kayaking has earned greater importance in SPARC’s high performance programme, meaning increased funding and resources in the hands of Canoe Racing New Zealand, the body responsible for supporting and developing our most prodigious paddling talent.
For the first time, CRNZ now employ a full time High Performance Manager, Wayne Maher, responsible for providing Ben and others with access to the best resources in equipment, nutrition and medical services – a development that frees Ben up to concentrate more singularly, and confidently, on training.
This significant improvement means that the coming years will provide the best training conditions in Ben’s career to date.