To control this affliction, he must juggle no fewer than five different kinds of exotic medications. Then consider his allergies. Whatever his disabilities, however, he is no pallid academic on the waterways. Together with kayaker Caroline Brunet of Quebec and canoeist Steve Giles of Nova Scotia, Ontario's Crichlow offers the brightest prospect for an Olympic medal that Canadian paddlers have seen in more than a decade. That's certainly nothing to sneeze at.
Few nations boast as intimate a connection between sport and culture as Canada's link to paddling.
The kayak and the canoe both owe their basic design to aboriginal Canadians. Indeed, when canoeing was introduced to the Olympics in 1936, it was deemed supremely fitting that a Canadian, Francis Amyot, won the first gold medal. But in the intervening years, Canada's birthright over the sport it nurtured was largely usurped by the Soviet athletics empire. The sport was dominated by the East. And continues to be.