Howard Watkins competed in the men’s K-1 1000 metres and K-2 1000 metres canoe sprint at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games as the outstanding Irish canoeist of his era, producing a remarkable improvement across the rounds.

He shaved eleven seconds from his K-1 1000m time in the repechage to qualify for the semi-final, improving by another four seconds there. His time of 4:00.77 in the K-1 improved the Irish record by eleven seconds.

A member of the Salmon Leap Canoe Club in Leixlip, Watkins was the youngest competitor in his event at Munich and his performance began the unique record held by the club of having a member represent Ireland at every Olympic Games since 1972.

He and Brendan O’Connell combined for the K-2 1000m, improving the Irish record by nine seconds in the repechage with a time of 3:45.18. He went on to compete at the Montreal 1976 Olympics.