View source for Tim Brabants

{{Short description|British sprint kayaker}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name             = Tim Brabants
| image            = Tim brabants in 2011.jpg
| caption          = Brabants in 2011
| honorific_suffix = [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]]
| full_name        = Jules Timothy Brabants
| birth_date       = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1977|01|23}}
| birth_place      = [[Chertsey]], [[Surrey]], [[England]],<br />[[United Kingdom]]
| nationality      = British
| occupation       = Doctor
| height           = 1.88 m
| weight           = 85 kg
| website          = {{URL|timbrabants.com|TimBrabants.com}}
| medaltemplates   = 
{{MedalSport|Men's [[canoe sprint]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{GBR2}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Canoeing at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Beijing]]|[[Canoeing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's K-1 1000 metres|K-1 1000 m]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]]|[[Canoeing at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Men's K-1 1000 metres|K-1 1000 m]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Beijing]]|[[Canoeing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's K-1 500 metres|K-1 500 m]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Canoe Sprint World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2007 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|2007 Duisburg]]|K-1 1000 m}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2006 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|2006 Szeged]]|K-1 1000 m}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2007 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|2007 Duisburg]]|K-1 500 m}}
{{MedalSilver|[[2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|2010 Poznań]]|K-1 1000 m}}
{{MedalSport|Men's [[canoe marathon]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Canoe Marathon World Championships]] }}
{{MedalSilver|1998 Cape Town|K-2 marathon}}
}}

'''Jules Timothy Brabants''' [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (born 23 January 1977) is a British [[Kayak racing|sprint kayaker]] who has competed since the late 1990s. Competing in four [[Summer Olympics]], he won three medals with one gold ([[2008 Summer Olympics|2008]]: K-1 1000 m) and two bronzes ([[2000 Summer Olympics|2000]]: K-1 1000 m, 2008: K-1 500 m).

==Early life and education==
Tim Brabants was born in [[Chertsey]]. He first began his canoeing career at Elmbridge Canoe Club in Elmbridge.

Brabants was educated at the [[Salesian School, Chertsey|Salesian School]], a [[Voluntary aided school|Voluntary Aided]] co-educational [[Roman Catholic]] comprehensive school in [[Chertsey]], Surrey, followed by the [[University of Nottingham]].

==Career==
Brabants trained at Royal Canoe Club, the world's oldest canoe club located in Teddington, London.

Brabants won the K-1 1000 m European championship at [[Szeged]], Hungary in 2002, the first time a British paddler had won the [[Canoe racing|blue riband]] event.

The [[Canoeing at the 2004 Summer Olympics#Sprint|2004 Olympics]] however were a disappointment. Brabants had won a European silver medal at [[Poznań]] earlier in the season and was the fastest qualifier for the Olympic K-1 1000 m final with the world's fastest time of 3:24.412. However, in the final itself he finished in fifth place.

He took a year off from competitive kayaking in 2005 to complete his medical studies at the [[University of Nottingham]] followed by a spell as a doctor in [[Jersey]]. However, he returned to action in 2006, winning the gold medal in [[Račice (Litoměřice District)|Račice]] in the K-1 1000 m event at the European Championships and the silver medal in the same event at the [[2006 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|World Championships]] in Szeged in August 2006, finishing just 0.06 seconds behind Sweden's [[Markus Oscarsson]].

2007 was an even better year. Brabants competed in the K-1 500 m discipline as well and at the European Championships won Silver for the 1000 m and Gold for the 500 m. At the [[2007 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|2007 World Championships]] in [[Duisburg]], Brabants won gold in the K-1 1000 m and silver in the K-1 500 m events, thus securing a place for Great Britain at the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] in Beijing.

At these games Brabants made his way into the history books by being the first Briton to win a gold medal in either the sprint or slalom kayak discipline. This he achieved by a convincing win in the K-1 1000 m, leading from start to finish.

Although best known as a sprinter, Brabants' first success as a senior international had in fact come in the marathon. He won a silver medal at the 1998 [[ICF canoe marathon|World Canoe Marathon Championships]] in [[Cape Town]], South Africa.<ref>{{Cite web|title=TimBrabants.com &#124; Career Highlights|url=http://timbrabants.com/carrer_highlights.php|access-date=2023-05-24|website=timbrabants.com}}</ref>

Brabants is a member of the [[Nottingham]] Kayak Club and is a physician by profession. He is 188&nbsp;cm (6'2) tall and weighs 85&nbsp;kg (187&nbsp;lbs).

Brabants was appointed a [[Member of the Order of the British Empire]] (MBE) in the [[2009 New Year Honours]] for services to sport.<ref>United Kingdom {{London Gazette |issue=58929 |date=31 December 2008 |page=14|supp=1}}</ref> In 2010, he won a silver in the K-1 1000 m event at the [[2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships|world championships]].

Brabants was selected for the canoe sprint team for London Olympics 2012, where he finished 8th.<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18441127| title= London 2012: Tim Brabants will defend his canoe sprint title
| date=14 June 2012}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*{{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105013709/http://canoeicf.com/site/canoeint/if/downloads/result/Pages%201-41%20from%20Medal%20Winners%20ICF%20updated%202007-2.pdf?MenuID=Results%2F1107%2F0%2CMedal%5Fwinners%5Fsince%5F1936%2F1510%2F0 |date=2010-01-05 |title=ICF medalists for Olympic and World Championships – Part 1: flatwater (now sprint): 1936–2007 }}
*{{Webarchive |url=https://www.webcitation.org/5l9vPO85Y?url=http://www.canoeicf.com/site/canoeint/if/downloads/result/Pages%2042-83%20from%20Medal%20Winners%20ICF%20updated%202007.pdf?MenuID=Results%2F1107%2F0%2CMedal%5Fwinners%5Fsince%5F1936%2F1510%2F0 |date=2009-11-09 |title=ICF medalists for Olympic and World Championships – Part 2: rest of flatwater (now sprint) and remaining canoeing disciplines: 1936–2007}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.timbrabants.com/}}
* {{SR/Olympics profile|br/tim-brabants-1}}
* {{Cite web |title=Elmbridge Canoe Club {{!}} Canoeing in Surrey |url=https://elmbridgecanoeclub.com/ |access-date=2023-05-24 |language=en}}

{{Footer Olympic Champions Men K-1 1000 m}}
{{Footer World Champions Canoe Sprint K-1 1000 m Men}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brabants, Tim}}
[[Category:1977 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:English male canoeists]]
[[Category:British male canoeists]]
[[Category:21st-century British medical doctors]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Nottingham]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:English Olympic competitors]]
[[Category:Olympic canoeists for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medallists for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medallists for Great Britain]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in canoeing]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Canoeists at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Canoeists at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Canoeists at the 2012 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Canoeists at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in kayak]]
[[Category:Medalists at the ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Chertsey]]