Eoin Rheinisch represented Ireland in the men’s K-1 canoe slalom at three Olympic Games – finishing 21st at Athens 2004, 4th at Beijing 2008 and reaching the semi-finals at London 2012.

Known as “Rhino,” he is the most successful Irish canoe slalom Olympian in history. From Leixlip, Co. Kildare, Rheinisch pursued his sport in the face of a fundamental challenge unique to Irish canoeing – there are no white water slalom courses on the island of Ireland, meaning he spent over 200 days a year training and competing abroad.

He qualified for Athens 2004 having won a World Cup in Spain during the selection process. At Beijing 2008 he produced the finest performance of his career – lying in gold medal position with three competitors remaining, he was pushed back to fifth by Alexander Grimm of Germany and Fabien Lefèvre of France, and then, agonisingly, beaten to the bronze medal by just 0.7 of a second when Benjamin Boukpeti of Togo completed the course to claim Ireland’s place on the podium in one of the more unexpected moments of those Games.

The Beijing result remains the highest finish ever by an Irish competitor in Olympic canoe slalom.

He qualified for London 2012 after a tense selection battle and reached the semi-finals before a costly error – his kayak touching the riverbed and a missed gate incurring a 50-second penalty – ended his medal hopes. He announced his retirement in February 2014, having completed a degree in Business and Marketing, and immediately took up the role of National Coach for the Canoeing Ireland Under-23 and Junior Canoe Slalom Squads – the first home-grown high performance coach in the organisation’s history.