Joyce Richards sat in a canoe, just for fun, in 1946. Two years later she was competing at the Olympics thanks to a chance meeting on a train with John Dudderidge, president of the British Canoe Union. He convinced her to go into training for the Games and, whilst she had not raced before, she turned out and represented her country at the London Games. Despite finishing last In her heat, she did gain the honour of becoming the first female canoeist to represent Britain at the Olympics. In 1949, Richards, a PE teacher at Watford Grammar school, married fellow canoeist, and Essex corn merchant, Eric Farnham. The following year, the pair represented Great Britain in the Canoe Sprint World Championships at København (Copenhagen). Joyce went to the Worlds as the reigning British champion.
Great Britain