BEIJING - To see David Ford shirtless, you'd never guess he was the oldest paddler in the Olympic whitewater kayaking competition. The only clue is a cluster of grey hair on his muscular chest.
The 41-year-old's physique could belong to a man 20 years younger, and even though he failed for a fifth time to win an Olympic medal, the Edmonton native isn't quite ready to put away his paddle.
"There's no reason that in four years I'll be any less fit or strong than I am now," Ford said Tuesday after finishing sixth in the men's K-1 slalom at the Beijing Olympics. "It's all about funding and sponsors and will at this point."
There's little question the former world champion has the will -- his focus and determination have helped him get this far. Funding could be another story.
After a just missing the podium at the Athens Olympics, Ford received in the neighbourhood of $75,000 to $80,000 per year for the next two years from the Canadian Olympic Committee's Road to Excellence program. Then in 2007, his funding was reduced. This year, it was cut altogether.
He was told he didn't have enough "future potential." In other words, you're too old. His results over the past two years and lack of the sport's cultural significance in Canada were also cited as factors in the funding cut. The third one really stumped Ford.
"It makes no sense to me, since we built our country on paddling," he said. "It's a disappointing decision on their part but they have no oversight and they can do what they want."
But he didn't let it get him down. Instead he and training partner Eoin Rheinisch of Ireland hired his Dutch coach Han Bijnen and continued to work towards making it to Beijing. Getting here has cost him some $80,000.
For now, he plans to keep racing for at least one more year. In 2009, he'll ride the rapids at La Seu d'Urgell in Barcelona, the same course on which he won his only world title in 1999.
And while he says he could conceivably paddle four years from now at the London Games, Ford sounded a bit like a man who had an inkling he'd raced on an Olympic whitewater course for the final time.
"There's some synergy maybe in finishing there (in Barcelona)," he said. "But you never know. I'll race next year and then we'll see."
No matter how much longer he stays in the sport, Ford is obviously in the twilight of his career, one that he is proud of despite the absence of Olympic hardware.
"Eventually it will be gone," he said. "I feel really good about my career. I've done a lot of things that I never thought I was going to be able to do. So to have a body of work like that it sort of beyond what I had hoped."
But he never dreamed the Olympic podium would be so elusive. In five appearances at the Summer Games, his best result was a heartbreaking fourth four years ago in Athens.
In 2000 in Sydney he went in as the defending world champion and finished a disastrous 22nd. He was 15th at both the '96 Atlanta Games and the '92 Barcelona Olympics.
"I thought because it's such a limited field at Olympics, that's where I was going to make my mark," he said. "Not being world champion, World Cup champion and all those things. I kind of by accident did all things I thought weren't possible in trying to do this one thing that I never did. It's kind of an interesting road."
He came close again Tuesday, finishing with a two-run time of 178.35 seconds. Had it not been for a two-second penalty for touching gate No. 12, he would have been fourth again.
He says he didn't feel the touch.
"None of my coaches saw it, when they watched the video they didn't see it," he said. "I didn't feel it, that's for sure. The judges saw something they didn't like and you've got to go with what they say."
Alexander Grimm of Germany won gold in 171.70, while Fabien Lefevre took silver in 173.30 and Benjamin Boukpeti of Togo claimed bronze in 173.45.
Grimm is 21, Lefevre is 26 and Boukpeti just turned 27. All were born in the '80s when Ford was already a teenager in high school.
Ford, who lives in Chilliwack, B.C., with girlfriend Kelly VanderBeek of the Canadian alpine ski team, admits that good genes have contributed to his longevity but says he's also got plenty of help along the way.
"I get to work with some really, really, really smart people," he said. "I have great coaches, really good physiologists, great doctors. We're on the cutting edge of sports science right now in Canada so I have available some really good knowledge to make sure I stay healthy, train smart and keep getting better."
Canadian head coach Michal Staniszewski says it's a combination of things that has kept Ford competitive.
"Basically determination, hard work, passion and motivation," he said. "He just puts lots of effort into his training and racing and that's what keeps him young."
Tuesday's competition was held at one of the many impressive Olympic venues in Beijing. The state-of-the-art whitewater course at Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park rings a hill with lush green grass and hedges and despite its 37,000 seats has an intimate feel. The majority of the seats were filled with enthusiastic fans, stomping their feet to Queen's "We Will Rock You" and banging inflatable ThunderStix.
Ford was impressed.
"It's state of the art and it's hard and that's nice," he said. "A lot of the artificial courses that have been built over the past five years aren't that hard so the way you paddle is very different."
It may not be the last time he paddles an Olympic course.
"If next year goes well and the ducks start lining up again," he said, "I might be doing this again in four years."
