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Not many people have heard of Bill Havens, but Bill became an unlikely hero - at least among those who knew him best. In the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, the sport of canoeing was added to the list of international competitions. The United States team was the favourite to win the event, and Bill Havens was a member of that team.
As the time for the Olympics neared, it became clear that Bill’s wife would give birth to their first child about the time that the U.S. team would be competing in the Paris games. In 1924, there was no jet aircraft from Paris to the United States, only slow ocean-going ships. Bill found himself in a dilemma. Should he go to Paris and risk not being at his wife’s side when their baby was born? Or should he withdraw from the team and remain with his family?
