by Bonnie Hancock
Pierre and Jean van der Westhuyzen own a rare slice of history as the first kayaking brothers to medal at the same Olympics.
This weekend they will look to carve out another piece when they paddle in the same boat for the first time on the international stage.
The brothers have long shared the water as training partners.
First, it was on a dam in the tiny South African village they grew up in.
More recently it’s been under the watchful eye of Australian Institute of Sport coaches on the Gold Coast canal system.
Bachelor of Actuarial Science student, Pierre, was in the Australian men’s K4 team which narrowly missed gold in Paris, while older brother and Bond University alumnus, Jean, powered to bronze with Tom Green in the K4 500m after the duo took gold in Tokyo 2020.
Even though they’ve both dominated on the global stage, their victories have always been achieved in separate events.
But now they have a chance to share success.
Ahead of the opening Canoe Sprint World Cup in Szeged, Hungary - which marks the beginning of the new Olympic selection period - Paddle Australia has unveiled a new-look men’s K4 team, in which Jean steps in to replace Paris silver medallist Noah Havard.
With Jean taking seat one in the boat - the paddler responsible for setting the pace and rhythm - and Pierre in his usual seat two - the brothers will sit just one metre apart when they hunt a gold medal this weekend.
“The opportunity to race with my brother has been a goal since I made my first Australian team with him,” Pierre said.
“With it now being a reality, the challenges and excitement of paddling together have definitely strengthened our bond.”
The brothers will step down from the bigger boat when they contest the K2 500m together in Germany, with each also competing in the K1 500m.
With 70% of Olympic quota places distributed over the next 18 months, the three World Cup events will provide a crucial opportunity for the Australian kayakers, including Bondies Claudia and Alyssa Bailey, to secure places in the LA 2028 team.
“The main goal at the World Cups is to start out my Olympic campaign on the right foot and build momentum towards LA2028,” Pierre said.
“Both the men’s and women’s squads are training at the same European base for the first time which is really exciting ,and we’ll be aiming to maximise points towards Olympic quota spots for Australia.”