Rennes School of Business to sponsor MSc student Jean-Pierre Bourhis, world-class kayakist
A double-degree student at the School, Jean-Pierre Bourhis is a high-level athlete and will be sponsored by Rennes School of Business as he competes in the 2021 summer Olympics.
Originally from Gouesnac’h, in southern Brittany, Jean-Pierre Bourhis has been training and competing in high-level kayaking competitions since he was 8 years old.
Rennes School of Business will join a group of sponsors to support Jean-Pierre as he trains to compete in this year’s summer Olympics. The elite athlete has double French-Senegalese citizenship and will be representing Senegal in the single Men’s canoe slalom this summer at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Jean-Pierre is currently a double-degree student between Rennes School of Business and INSA Rennes, currently studying in the MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Rennes SB. As part of the programme, students are required to create a business project from start to finish, beginning at the ideation stage and leading up to defending the project in front of a jury of professional experts.
For Jean-Pierre, this was the perfect opportunity to develop his objective of creating the first eco-designed range of kayaks, a project that he is in the process of developing with the help of several associations, in both Brittany and Senegal. The first prototype has been printed in 3D and a mould will be created to help create future models. The first kayaks will be made from a mixture of flax and resin that will be bio-sourced from Senegal. In this way, Jean-Pierre hopes to make the practice of kayaking more accessible and sustainable.
With a career already studded with success, Jean-Pierre’s achievements to date include:
- 18th place at the Olympic games in Rio, 2016
- Champion of Africa in 2015 and 2021, and vice-champion of Africa in 2013
- World championships under 23 division and junior 2012-18: best performance 8th worldwide
- World championships senior division 2013-18: best performance 31st worldwide
- Over 14 world cups from 2013-18: best performance 11th/ over 20 international competitions from 2012 – 18
