Bridgitte Hartley

Bridgitte Ellen Hartley (born 14 July 1983) is a South African canoe sprinter who has competed since the late 2000s. She won a bronze medal in the K-1 1000 m event at the 2009 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Dartmouth. Three years later, at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Bridgitte again won the bronze medal, this time in the K-1 (Kayak Singles – Women) 500m event. In August 2014, she replicated her Olympic form, and at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Moscow she picked up a third career bronze model in international competition. In the women's K-1 500 m event, she finished in 16th place.

In February 2022, she was elected as chair of the International Canoe Federation's (ICF) Athlete Committee.

Early life Hartley was born in Sandton, a suburb of Johannesburg. Her family moved to Richards Bay in her youth, where she took up surfing. She attended Pretoria High School for Girls where she excelled at sports.