Bridgitte Ellen Hartley (born 14 July 1983) is a South African canoe sprinter who has competed since the late 2000’s. Hartley competed in the K-2 500 m event at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. 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. Hartley became the first person from both South Africa and the African continent to medal at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships.

Bridgitte competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In the women’s K-1 200 m event, she finished in 13th place and 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. In September 2024, Bridgitte was inducted into the Hall of Fame in recognition of her outstanding contributions to sports, both locally and internationally. This honour celebrates her remarkable achievements and her unwavering commitment to representing South Africa. We are thrilled to have her on board, as one of our Ambassadors.