9 September 2026

By Göran R Buckhorn

Archie MacKinnon, the last surviving member of the “Cinderella Four”, who was the first Canadian crew to take an Olympic gold medal in rowing, died on 28 August 2026 aged 89.

Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) announced on 4 September that the Olympic champion Archibald “Archie” MacKinnon had passed away at age 89.

In 1955, MacKinnon came to the University of British Columbia (UBC) as an engineering student with very little rowing experience. At UBC, he was coached by Frank Read. MacKinnon was first a spare to the varsity crew, but soon he joined Lorne Loomer, Walter d’Hondt and Donald Arnold in a coxless four. Read trained them hard and to everyone’s surprise at the 1956 Canadian Olympic trials in St. Catharines, Ontario, the young and inexperienced crew won the race.

They were sent to represent Canada at the 1956 Olympic Games with rowing on Lake Wendouree in Ballarat, Australia. There was not much hope that they would end up on the medal podium, and they made a poor start in the final and were dead last. However, they managed to pick themselves up and went through the field passing Italy, France and the favourites, the USA.

Canada crossed the finish line in 7:08.8, which was 10 seconds ahead of the American boat, who took silver, with France taking bronze.

The press gave the Canadians the nickname the “Cinderella Four.”

Two years later, at the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Arnold, D’Hondt, Loomer and MacKinnon joined Wayne Pretty, Glen Mervyn, Robert Wilson, Bill McKerlich and cox Sohen Biln in the eight. In the final on Llyn Padarn in North Wales, the Canadians won the gold medal followed by Australia (silver) and England (bronze).

At the 1960 Olympic Games, Archie MacKinnon was back in the eight. Canada won the 3rd semifinal in 6:03.18, while the 2nd semifinal had been won by Germany in 6:03.34. However, in the final, Karl Adam’s crew proved to be too hard to beat, but the Canadian crew took the silver and Czechoslovakia the bronze. The eight’s silver became Canada’s only medal at the Rome Games.

After the Games, MacKinnon continued his education at UBC, he earned an electrical engineering degree before completing an MBA at York University’s Schulich School of Business.

Along with his gold medal winning crew, MacKinnon was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1957, Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1958, British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame in 1966, University of British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame in 1993, and Canadian Rowing Hall of Fame in 2018. He was inducted a second time into the British Columbia (1977) and University of British Columbia (2012) Sports Halls of Fame for his Rome 1960 Olympic achievement. 

Archie MacKinnon was the last surviving member of the “Cinderella Four”. Lorne Loomer died in 2017, while Walter D’Hondt and Donald Arnold both died in 2021.

Archibald “Archie” Alan MacKinnon, born on 13 January 1937, died on 28 August 2026.