Paul MacDonald MBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

(born 8 January 1960) is a New Zealand

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...

 sprint 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 competed from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s. He is widely regarded as one of New Zealand

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...

's most successful international athletes and holds innumerable international speed records in canoeing

Canoeing

Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....

.

Competing in three Summer Olympics, MacDonald won five medals. This included three golds (K-2 500 m: 1984

1984 Summer Olympics

The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...

, 1988

1988 Summer Olympics

The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...

; K-4 1000 m: 1984), one silver (K-2 1000 m: 1988), and one bronze (K-1 500 m: 1988)

He also won six medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with three golds (K-1 500 m: 1987

1987 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1987 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Duisburg, West Germany for the second time. The West German city hosted the championships previously in 1979....

, K-2 500 m: 1985

1985 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1985 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Mechelen, Belgium.The men's competition consisted of six Canadian and nine kayak events. Three events were held for the women, all in kayak....

, K-2 1000 m: 1987) and three silvers (K-2 500 m: 1982

1982 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1982 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia for the record fourth time. The Yugoslavian city had host the championships previously in 1971, 1975, and 1978....

, 1987, K-2 10000 m: 1990

1990 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1990 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Poznań, Poland on Lake Malta.The men's competition consisted of eight Canadian and nine kayak events. Five events were held for the women, all in kayak....

).

In retirement from professional competition, MacDonald has produced many television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 sports events and programmes including Clash of the Codes

Clash of the Codes

This article is about a New Zealand television show. For the inter-code rugby series see Clash of the Codes Clash of the Codes was a New Zealand television program which aired in 1994 and again in 1997...

(the ultimate sporting challenge) and annually presents the Dragon Boat Festival.