John Ruf

John Ruf
Personal information
BornJohn Federick Ruf
(1968-03-04)March 4, 1968
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedJuly 8, 2026(2026-07-08) (aged 58)
EducationWashington University in St. Louis
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Sport
Country United States
SportSailing
Medal record
Representing  United States
Paralympic Games
Sailing
Bronze medal – third place2008 BeijingMixed 1-person keelboat 2.4mR

John Federick Ruf (March 4, 1968 – July 8, 2026) was an American paralympic sailor.[1][2] He competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.[3]

Biography

Ruf was born with a spinal tumor[4] in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Fritz and Sally Ruf.[5] He grew up sailing on Pewaukee Lake in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.[6] He attended Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, earning his law degree. After earning his degree, he worked as a businessman. With his spinal tumor, in 1999, he had lost his ability to walk.[5]

He competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, winning the bronze medal in the mixed 1-person keelboat 2.4mR event.[3][7] He was named the world champion at the 2009 2.4 Metre World Championship in Fort Myers, Florida.[8]

Ruf died on July 8, 2026, at the age of 58.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Captain of His Destiny: Paralyzed Sailor Finds 'Amazing Freedom' Aboard His Boat". The Ledger. Lakeland, Florida. February 27, 2008. p. 1. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  2. ↑ "Paralyzed sailor sets sights on Paralympics". The Republic. Columbus, Indiana. March 2, 2008. p. 27. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  3. 1 2 3 "Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Ruf finds path toward medal island". The Freeman. Waukesha, Wisconsin. July 27, 2013. p. B1. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  5. 1 2 "John Federick Ruf". Cremation Society of Waukesha. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Sailing for the gold". The Oconomowoc Enterprise. Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. October 9, 2003. p. 21. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  7. ↑ "Pewaukee sailor gets bronze". The Freeman. Waukesha, Wisconsin. September 15, 2008. p. B4. Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  8. ↑ "Eight Bells: John Ruf". United States Sailing Association. July 9, 2026. Retrieved July 24, 2026.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.