John Simmons

Before he took up canoeing, John Simmons was a long-distance open water swimmer, and his kayak doubles partner at the 1948 Olympics, Jack Henderson, was a Scottish international swimmer. Tt was as a canoeist, however, that Simmons found fame, and in the 1930s he was an established cross-channel exponent. In 1937 he set an official record of 4-57:00 for crossing the English Channel in a single-seater folding kayak. The record stood until 1950. In 1939, Simmons and W. Fleming established a record of 5-15:00 for a two-man crossing of the Channel from Dover to Cap Gris Nez.

At the 1949 British Open Canoe Championships, Simmons, a member of the Royal Canoe Club, won five titles at 500 and 1,000 metre K1, 1,000 and 10,000m K2, and 1,000m K4. The following year he won the three individual K1 titles. He retired in 1951 and was, at one time, the holder of the most individual canoeing records in Britain.