Jean van der Westhuyzen (born 9 December 1998) is an Australian

sprint canoeist Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race in specially designed sprint canoes or sprint kayaks on calm water over a short distance. Prior to November 2008, canoe sprint was known as flatwater racing. The term is still in use today ...

. He was educated at

Michaelhouse Michaelhouse is a full boarding senior school for boys founded in 1896. It is located in the Balgowan, KwaZulu-Natal, Balgowan valley in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The Spear’s Schools Index 2025 reco ...

, Balgowan, KwaZulu Natal.

Career

He won a gold medal in the K2 1000 metres event at the

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

as well as a

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

in the K2 500 metres event at the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

, competing alongside Thomas Green. Jean also competed in the K1 1000 metres in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, finishing in 11th place by coming 3rd in the B-final. Jean Van Der Westhuizen attended an Elite, all-boys boarding school, Michaelhouse in KwaZulu-Natal, Midlands in South Africa. Van der Westhuyzen began as a marathon and sprint paddler. It was only on his immigration to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

that he concentrated on sprint racing. In the

2022 Australia Day Honours The 2022 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2022 by the Governor General of Australia, David Hurley. The Australia ...

he was awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...

. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Van der Westhuyzen and Tom Green won bronze in the men's K2.

Personal life

Van der Westhuyzen's brother,

Pierre Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

, is also an Olympic canoeist.

References

External links

* 1998 births Living people Australian male canoeists Olympic canoeists for Australia Canoeists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 2024 Summer Olympics South African emigrants to Australia Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Australia Olympic bronze medalists for Australia Olympic medalists in canoeing Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Alumni of Michaelhouse ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in kayak Sportspeople from Cape Town 21st-century Australian sportsmen {{Australia-canoe-bio-stub