The youngest member of the Australian men’s sprint kayaking team, Pierre van der Westhuyzen is an Olympic canoeist and excellent athlete. He qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic team. His talent and determination have already brought him silver and bronze medals.
From South Africa to Australia, Sprint kayaker Pierre van der Westhuyzen Qualifies for Olympics
Pierre van der Westhuyzen was born in South Africa but now represents Australia in sprint kayaking. He just finished his second season on the Australian kayaking team, which is a big honor for him. Pierre was part of the crew that earned a quota spot for the men’s K4 500m event at the upcoming Olympics. This means he has secured his place on Australia’s Olympic team for this year’s Games.
“The ultimate dream is the Olympics and I think the Olympic gold medal is the pinnacle of our sport…Paris is definitely a big goal for me, An Olympic medal is obviously the aim.”
Pierre stated
A path laid down by Gold Medalist Brother
Pierre van der Westhuyzen was born on August 18, 2003, in Bellville, South Africa. His mother name is Rene van der Westhuyzen.
He got a lot of motivation from his older brother Jean and Jean’s friend Green. Seeing how successful they were after coming to Australia, Pierre decided this could be something he wanted to follow in the future.
His brother Jean won a gold medal for Australia in the 2020 Olympics.
Pierre finds himself in a special situation, sharing his love of kayaking with his older brother Jean van der Westhuyzen, who is an Olympic gold medalist. Pierre said the close bond he shares with his brother inspires him to follow in Jean’s footsteps.
Image: Pierre van der Westhuyzen with his brother Jean van der Westhuyzen (Source: The West)
Pierre, a student at Bond University, came to Australia in January 2020. That is when he realized kayaking was something he wanted to take seriously.
Originally a South African canoeist, Pierre van der Westhuyzen became an Australian citizen because of his potential to make Australia’s future Olympic team. A special exception in Australia’s citizenship laws allowed Pierre to become a citizen quickly, enabling him to represent Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Chasing His brother’s career
He started paddling very early when he was in school.
Pierre and his brother Jean grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. They began canoeing while attending Michaelhouse school in KwaZulu Natal province. Pierre represented South Africa at the Youth Olympics in Argentina.
Also Read: Meet Australian Sprint Canoeist, Jean van der Westhuyzen
Specifically, in 2018 when Pierre was still a student at the prestigious Michaelhouse school in KwaZulu-Natal, he competed for South Africa at the Youth Olympic Games in Argentina.
A couple of years after his brother Jean, Pierre followed him by moving to the Gold Coast in Australia. There he started studying for a bachelor’s degree in actuarial science at Bond University. Soon after arriving, Pierre earned a spot on the Australian men’s sprint kayaking team.
Pierre van der Westhuyzen World Championships and Olympics
Pierre van der Westhuyzen’s first competition for Australia’s canoe sprint team was the World Cup in the Czech Republic. In that event, he won silver and bronze medals.
The Australian team‘s huge success at the 2023 World Championships, where they earned the most total medals, shows that adding Pierre to the team was very beneficial.
Specifically in 2023, Pierre teamed up with Riley Fitzsimmons, Jackson Collins, and Noah Havard to win a silver medal in the K4 500m event at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup in Poznan, Poland. He was part of Australia’s team at the 2023 World Championships, where the K4 500m crew just missed the medal podium.
Last month when Pierre was selected for the Australian team, the younger van der Westhuyzen said his training partners at Varsity Lakes helped raise his performance to an elite world-class level.
Pierre has recently returned home to the Gold Coast, after being part of the Australian team that earned the most total medals at the 2023 World Championships.
Sprint kayaker Pierre van der Westhuyzen is following in the path made by his big brother Jean and he is very eager to become the second Olympic gold medalist in their family.
