David Hearn (canoeist)

David Hearn was born in 1959 in Bethesda, Maryland.^[1] Hearn has said that his decision to begin pursuing a competitive career in canoe slalom came after hearing the news of Jamie McEwan's bronze medal in whitewater slalom at the 1972 Summer Olympics on the radio with his sister Cathy. He would often train at Great Falls with his sister and Jon Lugbill.^[2]

Hearn won seven medals in the C1 event at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships with two golds (1985, 1995) and five silvers (1979, 1981, 1983, 1987, 1989). He also won six consecutive world championship gold medals in the C1 team event (1979-1989).^[3]

Hearn competed in three Summer Olympics, earning his best finish of ninth in the C1 event in Atlanta in 1996. Hearn's sister, Cathy, and his ex-brother-in-law, Lecky Haller, also competed in canoe slalom for the United States at the Olympics.^[1]

On June 19, 2026, Hearn was arrested by United States Park Police officers on the charge of misdemeanor destruction of government property near the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C.^[4] At the time of the incident, Donald Trump had accused "vandals" of sabotaging the pool's $13.1 million renovation, which was plagued with algal blooms and peeling paint days after its completion.^[4] In an interview with The Washington Post, Hearn said he had reached into the pool to feel the texture of the peeling paint, and had not removed or damaged anything.^[4] The Post noted that Park Police had unsuccessfully tried to lay charges against Hearn in 1996 for canoeing in the Potomac, even though they did not have jurisdiction over the portion of the river he was in.^[4]

However, some time later he helped park police save some fishermen and became a bit of a hero.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1996/09/09/olympic-canoeist-helps-police-rescue-fishermen/27e03cf4-50c1-4305-9152-6220768175d8/?fbclid=IwY2xjawSkbcRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE0eGM5bEMwbGNxOXREdXo2c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHvp43yUdpjAkrvcDNChMGe1bmJqf5m26c-yQcy-Zc0o8DtN4M6_tVL2KFZO7_aem_gAq1usdb46FCBQsDSVcKyQ

				Total
C1	4	4	6	14