Jon Lugbill

Who is Jon Lugbill?

Jon Phillip Lugbill is widely considered to be the greatest whitewater canoe slalom racer ever. During the 1980s, he dominated international racing in Men's Individual C-1. He is the only slalom racer to ever appear on the Wheaties box. He revolutionized the sport while producing innovations in paddling technique and boat design.

Jon started canoeing in the 1970s in the Washington, D.C. area. He often trained daily in his C-1 using slalom gates set up on a feeder canal next to the Potomac River near Great Falls. During the winter, Jon and his fellow paddlers also trained in the David Taylor Model Basin. He and some other fellow racers developed new designs of low volume decked canoes, using nylon, kevlar and fiberglass cloths mixed with epoxy resin.

In 1979, Jon won the C-1 men's individual World Championship in canoe slalom at the first World Championships to be held on the North American continent at Jonquière. This was the first time an American had won a gold medal in the world canoe slalom championships. Jon went on to win gold in his category several more times; 1981 at Bala, 1983 at Meran, 1987 at Bourg St. Maurice, and 1989 at the Savage River.