Sydney University Alumni Noah Havard has clinched an Olympic silver medal in one of the most thrilling finishes in the Men’s K4-500 metre final. Edged by only 0.04 against the powerhouse Germany who have won this event for the last three Olympics.
Havard has a Bachelor of Project Management with a Construction Major and is also a former member of the Elite Athlete Program at Sydney University. As a teenager he played rugby league and was a member of the Sydney Roosters Development squad to play in the NRL. An injury forced Noah to walk away from the sport, and his brother led him to surf ski which eventually progressed into kayaking.
Havard and his team started in solid fashion coming third with a time of 1:22:28 in their heat, to then qualify for the quarterfinals in which the team began to shine with one of the best times beating second position by well over a second. This followed a strong statement display in the Semi Finals where they finished with an Olympic Best with a time of 1:19:22.
The final held up to its expectation where only 0.25 was the difference between a gold medal and the bronze medalist Spain. Both German and Australian teams waited patiently for the official confirmation of the winner. With the German’s just in front. A courageous effort by the team with Havard speaking after saying ‘We left it out there, all the way to the line. Can’t be upset with what we put out there.’
On behalf of everyone at Sydney Uni Sport, we congratulate Noah on his achievements in Paris and wish him all the best in his upcoming events.
Havard Middle Right
