Instagram: @markdejonge
When Mark de Jonge’s family moved from Calgary to Halifax in 1997, they signed him up at Maskwa Aquatic Club to help him make friends in his new community. It was a start to many long friendships and a very successful paddling career. He won his first national titles in 1999 and went on to win an Olympic bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games, as well as a World champ silver medal in 2013. Mark is also a world record breaker and was World Champion in the K1 200m event in 2014 and 2015.
In 2011, Mark de Jonge’s paddling career was heating up again as he reached the podium at a World Cup and qualified Canada’s Olympic quota spot in the K1 200 with a sixth place result at World Championships. Everything was on track until Mark dropped an 80 pound dumbbell on his finger in April 2012 and was unable to paddle for several weeks. After sitting out of World Cup competitions, Mark came back to qualify for the Canadian Olympic Team by winning National Team Trials in a time faster than ever recorded in international competition. He won an Olympic bronze medal in London seven weeks later.
Mark holds an engineering degree and does some part-time engineering work when he is in Halifax.
His goal for the coming years- Olympic gold medal in Tokyo 2020!
