Para Sport Awards 2025: Brahim Guendouz receives Breakthrough award
Brahim Guendouz, Algeria’s first Para canoeist, has been named the Breakthrough athlete in the Para Sport Awards 2025 19 Nov 2025
Brahim Guendouz, Algeria’s first Para canoeist, has been named the Breakthrough athlete in the Para Sport Awards 2025 for his outstanding performances in the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
In August 2023, Guendouz claimed Africa’s first-ever medal at the International Canoe Federation Para Canoe World Championships, earning bronze. At the start of 2024, he trained with the Spanish Para canoe team at a training camp in Hungary, supported by an International Paralympic Committee development grant awarded to the International Canoe Federation (ICF). The grant aimed to prepare talent from diverse backgrounds to compete at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
Guendouz made history at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games by becoming the first African athlete to win a Para canoe gold medal, triumphing in the men’s kayak single KL3 event. His victory was even more significant as Algeria had previously never qualified for or won a Paralympic medal in Para canoe, making this achievement truly groundbreaking.
A chef by profession, Guendouz took up Para canoe in 2017 after a friend introduced him to kayaking. In 2019 he joined the ICF’s Talent Identification Programme. Before finding his true passion on the water, he explored other sports, including karate and cycling, but the canoe was his true calling.
Following his historic win at Paris 2024, Guendouz has embraced a new role as a sports ambassador, inspiring young people across Africa to take up paddling and pursue their dreams.
Brahim Guendouz said: “I am incredibly happy and deeply honoured. Winning such an award means a lot to me. It’s not only about personal recognition but also about representing Algeria and Africa on a global stage.
“My performance at the Paralympic Games was the result of years of hard work, faith, and perseverance. That victory was not just for me, but for every young African athlete who dreams of breaking barriers and showing that nothing is impossible."
The 2025 Para Sport Awards celebrate those whose efforts have contributed to strengthening the impact of Para sports worldwide. The Breakthrough category recognises an athlete or NPC that made a significant breakthrough. This can include qualifying for a first World Championships, debuting at a Paralympics, winning a first medal, making a first final or setting several personal bests.
The eligibility period for the award was between 1 May 2023 to 31 March 2025.
