Jean-Pierre Burny (LU)

Jean-Pierre is often considered one of the greatest whitewater downriver paddlers of all times. He was the dominant force in K1 downriver racing in the 1970’s winning four world championships over a ten-year time frame, from 1969 to 1979.

In 1967, Jean-Pierre Burny won the FiBArk race in the United States on the Arkansas River in Colorado, the much touted 25.7 mile downriver race which has drawn many of the top international competitors over the last 60 years. This began a decade of dominance that saw him become a four-time K1-Downriver World Champion, with wins in 1969, 1973, 1975, and 1979, and a Europa Cup Championship in K1-Downriver in 1974.

Ever the athlete and competitor, he won the bronze medal in Flatwater Sprint K-1 500m at 1970 World Championships. Jean-Pierre also competed in K1 and K2 500m and 1000m Flatwater Sprint contests and at the Olympics in 1972, finished just out of the medals in fourth place in the K1 1000m race. He also competed in the 1976 Olympics in flat water competition foregoing Europa Cup that same year, and won the pre-World Championships in K1 Downriver in 1978.

Since retiring from serious competition, Jean-Pierre continues to coach and also to compete at the senior and veteran level of the sport. The “Jean-Pierre Burny Marathon” in the Netherlands is named after him. He was awarded the Belgian National Award of Merit in 1975.