Gerry Collins competed in the men’s K-1 canoe slalom at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games – a pioneering event making its Olympic debut – and produced one of the great individual recovery performances of the Irish team, finishing 24th overall after a challenging first run.

In the slalom, every competitor faces the physical and mental demands of two runs over a course of gates on fast-moving water, with penalty points added for gate touches or misses. Collins improved dramatically between his first run (36th) and second run, recording a time of 297.95 seconds with 50 penalty points to move up to 24th overall.

The ICU officials returned from Munich ‘very satisfied’ with their Olympic debut, noting how all competitors recovered impressively in their subsequent runs. Collins was a pioneer in the development of Irish canoe slalom.