Career medals bagged by Hartley at the Canoe Sprint World Championships

Of the 87 medals South Africa has earned at the Olympic Games since the country made its official debut in 1908, only one has been achieved in the sport of kayaking, and though she has grown accustomed to receiving the bridesmaid tag at global level, Bridgitte Hartley can undoubtedly stake her claim as the best paddler this nation has ever produced.

Born in Sandton, Hartley moved around with her parents as a child, spending some time on the KwaZulu-Natal coast before settling down at Pretoria High School for Girls, where she completed her secondary education.

In her youth, Hartley tried her hand at various sports, including surfing, hockey, athletics, gymnastics and water polo.

And while she wasn’t introduced to kayaking until she was in high school, Hartley soon embarked on her elite career under the guidance of Hungarian coach Nandor Almasi while studying at the University of Pretoria.

With some hard work and commitment, she gradually climbed the ranks, and her dedication paid off in 2008 when she qualified for the Beijing Olympics at the age of 25.

Turning out with Michele Eray, Hartley participated in the K2 500m event, and though the duo did not make the final, Hartley gained valuable experience which would be crucial in her charge for the podium in London four years later.

The following season she enjoyed a significant breakthrough at the Canoe Sprint World Championships, earning the bronze medal in the K1 1000m race.

Two years later she shone again, cleaning up at the African Games in Maputo, where she stormed to gold in the 200m and 500m finals before adding a third title with Tiffany Kruger in the K2 500m event.

At the end of the 2011 campaign, Hartley qualified for her second Olympics by setting an unofficial world best over the 500m distance in Szeged.

Carrying her fine form into the quadrennial showpiece, she went on to secure bronze at the 2012 London Games.

A historic achievement which evoked emotional tears from Hartley when she stepped on the podium, the result remains the highlight of her accomplished career.

Forced to rest in 2013 after illness derailed most of her season, Hartley bounced back in style the following year when she grabbed another bronze medal at the World Championships in Moscow, this time in the more prestigious K1 500m event.

Eager to stand up again at the 2016 Rio Olympics, she reached the K1 200m and 500m semifinals but did not progress to the A finals over either distance.

She nonetheless proved she was by no means a spent force when she took bronze once again in the 1 000m race at the 2018 World Championships in Portugal.

And last season, at the age of 36, she wrapped up a podium treble at the African Games in Rabat.

Delivering once again in national colours, Hartley charged to K2 500m gold and 200m bronze with Donna Hutton, as well as combining with Hutton, Nosipho Mthembu and Esti van Tonder to lift the K4 500m crown.

Rewarded for a superb effort in Rabat, Hartley was later selected as the flag bearer for the closing ceremony of the continental showpiece.

“After I won bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, there was never any guarantee that I would carry on canoeing at the highest international level,” Hartley said at the end of another successful season.

“But here I am, seven years later, and I’m loving it.”

Away from the water, Hartley remains actively involved in sport, and in 2018 she was elected to the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) athletes’ commission.

She was also recently unveiled as one of 30 nominees for the International Olympic Committee athletes’ commission, with four available posts set to be filled following a voting process at the

Tokyo Olympics in July.

“Her dedication over the past 16 years bears testament to her love for our sport, not only in the purist disciplines but across the board,” Canoeing SA president Kim Pople said after the nominees were announced.

While she hasn’t quite called time on her elite sprinting career, Hartley has returned to the river in recent years, becoming a more prominent figure on the KwaZulu-Natal marathon circuit.

This week she is back in the hunt, aiming for her maiden title at the threeday Dusi Canoe Marathon between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, which concludes today.

Teaming up with Maties student Tracey Oellerman for her third attempt at the gruelling endurance challenge, Hartley was enthusiastic in the build-up to the race, but she stopped short of making any bold predictions.

She may be the best paddler South Africa has ever produced, but Hartley carries with her a humble aura reserved for only the most accomplished of elite athletes.

“We’re not putting any pressure on ourselves to win,” she told the Dusi organisers.