Jean van der Westhuyzen, 25, is an Australian sprint canoeist. Van der Westhuyzen started paddling when he was 10 years old. He received his education at KwaZulu Natal’s Michaelhouse in Balgowan. Now he is qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Jean van der Westhuyzen canoeist is qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024
Jean van der Westhuyzen is a famous Australian canoeist who has secured a spot to participate in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympic Games. In the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Jean won a gold medal in the K2 1000-meter event, where he competed alongside his teammate Thomas Green.
The Australian Olympic team has officially announced that Jean van der Westhuyzen will be representing the country in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics.
During the 1,000-meter men’s double kayak final event at the Tokyo Olympics, the Australian team, consisting of Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen, had a slight lead at the 500-meter mark. However, the German team caught up to them when there were only 300 meters left in the race.
Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen brought pride to Australia by winning the gold medal in the 1,000-meter men’s double kayak final at the Tokyo Olympics.
Tom Green and Jean van der Westhuyzen became overnight heroes in Australia after their surprising gold medal victory in the K2 1000m Olympic canoe sprint event. Despite being only 22 years old, they have already reached the top of their sport at a young age. However, both athletes had to overcome challenges and difficulties on their journey to success.
Westhuyzen shaped his life at an early age
Jean van der Westhuyzen, was born on December 9, 1998, to his parents Rene van der Westhuyzen (Mother). Jean van der Westhuyzen grew up in a relatively unknown but beautiful area of South Africa’s Cape Winelands region.
During his childhood in Franschhoek, a town near Cape Town, young Jean would stay awake until the early morning hours to watch Wallace Stewart and other Australian athletes compete.
In his early years, Westhuyzen used to play rugby, cricket, hockey, and other typical school sports. Kayaking was also an option, and he found it to be quite fascinating. He thought it was something a little different, so he gave it a try and genuinely enjoyed it.
He received his education at Michael House, a full boarding school for boys, established in 1896. This school is situated in the Balgowan Valley region of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
On July 30, 2018, he posted a picture of himself with his mother.
Jean van der Westhuyzen married his best friend
Jean van der Westhuyzen is joyfully wedded to Jamie van der Westhuyzen, who is his closest companion. The couple usually posted their picture on each other social media. The couple got engaged on December 5, 2022, and married on .
He shared a photograph from his wedding day on his Instagram page, capturing him alongside his wife Jamie van der Westhuyzen.
Jean Started his career
Jean van der Westhuyzen began participating in kayaking around the time of the Beijing Olympic Games. It was then that he realized kayaking was an Olympic sport, and it became something he could strive for.
Van der Westhuyzen started paddling when he was 10 years old, and the sport quickly became a significant part of his life. At the young age of 15, he made his first appearance on the World Championship team.
It was a K2 marathon event for junior boys. Van der Westhuyzen and his partner won that 21-kilometer race. He became the youngest South African to earn a World Championship medal at the age of 15.
He found the experience truly thrilling, but he acknowledges that at such a young age, he was doing it primarily for enjoyment.
Leading up to the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, Van der Westhuyzen and his K2 teammate Tom Green maintained a low profile. However, they burst onto the international scene during their debut, winning the gold medal.
The 25-year-old Van der Westhuyzen admitted, “Tokyo was a special event, but it had its highs and lows.”
The website Paddle Pathways posted a video of Westhuyzen’s performance at the Olympic Games.
Jean van der Westhuyzen’s paddling career
Jean van der Westhuyzen won a gold medal in the K2 1000-meter event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where he competed alongside his partner Thomas Green. It was during this event that his paddling career became more professional.
In addition to the K2 event, Jean also participated in the K1 1000 meters in Tokyo, finishing in 11th place after coming in 3rd in the B-final race.
Leading up to the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, Jean van der Westhuyzen and his K2 teammate Tom Green maintained a low profile before unexpectedly bursting onto the international scene and winning gold in their debut performance.
At the 2020 Australian Canoe Sprint Championships and the second Olympic selection event, Jean finished second to Tom in both the K1 1000 and K1 500 races.
The then 21-year-old Jean teamed up with Tom to compete in the K2 1000 event, and the pair finished second behind Riley Fitzsimmons and Jordan Wood.
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This result secured Jean’s spot to make his Olympic debut at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where he would compete in the K1 1000m and K2 1000m disciplines.
In the individual K1 1000m event, Jean narrowly missed out on automatic qualification for the semi-finals, finishing third in his opening heat with a time of 3:46.186.
However, he showcased his determination and drive for a medal in the subsequent quarter-final stage, outpacing his competitors to finish first with a time of 3:46.104.
CAREER EVENTS: Jean van der Westhuyzen’s main career events are the Canoe Sprint Men’s Kayak Single (MK1) 1000m and the Men’s Canoe Sprint K2 1000m.
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[…] Australian Canoeing player Jean vd Westhuyzen is in the Paris Olympics 2024. When he set out to try kayaking as a school sport around 2007, Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Jean […]