Olympic gold at 22 with Jean van der Westhuyzen. | S2 E17

Jean van der Westhuyzen was born and raised in South Africa where he fell in love with the sport of canoeing (or kayaking as it is known elsewhere in the world) . Humble, friendly, and a natural competitor, he was soon winning races at regional and national events before jumping into the International pond during his high school years.

An Olympic dream was sparked at a young age and Jean focused his efforts on the goal of reaching the pinnacle of the sport. Sprint kayaking is the only olympic discipline of canoeing. Races take place over distances of 200, 500, and 1000m. Jean had reached the peak of his potential on local shores where training facilities and support are lacking and made the bold decision to move his life to Australia to pursue the Olympic dream.

The Aussie training facilities and staff are world renowned and matched with the immense levels of determination Jean had built within himself, bred a world class athlete.  Jean shares his journey from entry into the sport to the last 250 meters of an Olympic final with his teammate, Tom Green, up against a childhood hero battling for Gold.

Links:

Jean's Instagram: @jean.vdwest

Clip of Jean and Tom's race: Video