Clint Robinson

Who is Clint Robinson?

Clint David Robinson, OAM is an Australian sprint kayaker and surf lifesaver who has won a complete set of medals at the Summer Olympics.

Robinson grew up in Nambour on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland. A junior surf lifesaving champion, he won the Cadet Malibu Board Race at the 1987 National Surf Lifesaving Championships and the following year he was invited to train with the Australian Olympic kayak squad. Robinson would go onto to compete in five Summer Olympics.

Clint Robinson became Australia’s first canoe / kayak gold medallist when he defeated the Norwegian World Champion Knut Holmann to win the K-1 1000 m final at Barcelona in 1992. Robinson paddled magnificently in his Barcelona final, holding off sustained challenges from Greg Barton and Marin Popescu, then emptying every reserve of energy in a finish that edged out the favourite Holmann. Afterwards he was so dehydrated that he was unable to produce a urine sample for doping analysis for six hours. Four years later in Atlanta, he lined up against Holmann again in the K-1 1000 m and led early, but finished with the bronze. In Athens in 2004, Robinson teamed with Nathan Baggaley to win a silver medal in the K-2 500 m.