Kyle Vander-Kuyp

Kyle Vander-Kuyp (b. 1971) is a Worimi and Yuin man and Australia's greatest ever 110 m hurdler. Adopted when he was five weeks old, he reconnected with his biological mother and siblings in 2004. That year he suffered depression and reached out to Beyond Blue, for which he is now an ambassador. After joining Little Athletics as a child, Vander-Kuyp turned to hurdles at age ten. In 1995 he set a new Australian record for the 110 m hurdles, 13.29 seconds, a record that still stands. He represented Australia at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics (where he was a finalist) and in Sydney in 2000, where he made the semi-finals, as well as four world championships. In 2004 he won his eleventh consecutive national title in the event – injury prevented him from defending the title again in 2005. At the 2006 national titles he was again the fastest Australian in the event, running a time that saw him selected to compete in his fourth Commonwealth Games. He was the recipient of the Dr. Charles Perkins Award, the 2004 Deadly's Award for outstanding contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sports and in 2005 named Athlete's Athlete at the Telstra Athlete of the Year Awards. Following his retirement, Vander-Kuyp has been a spokesperson for Indigenous people, working as a program manager for the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience and an Indigenous Mentor for AFL SportsReady. He is on the board of Grow Hope, a foundation that empowers First Nations youth to pass on their culture to fellow Australians. In 2017 he joined the Schiavello Group as Indigenous Engagement Manager, where he helps to increase Indigenous employment and participation in the construction sector.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2004
© Estate of Penny Tweedie