Gary Mawer competed in the men’s kayak sprint at two Olympic Games – in the K-2 events alongside Conor Maloney at Atlanta 1996, and individually in the K-1 events at Sydney 2000.

A member of Riverview Canoe Club in Clonskeagh, Dublin, Mawer was one of the most versatile and decorated Irish canoeists of his era. At the 1996 World Marathon Championships in Vaxholm, Sweden, he won silver in the K-1 and received the ICF Fair Play Award for helping a fellow competitor in difficulty during the race before going on to finish 5th.