Ernst Van Dyk (born 4 April 1973) is a South African wheelchair racer. He has won a record 9 wheelchair titles in the Boston Marathon. [1] He is also the current world record holder for men's wheelchair marathon from his record-setting race in the 2004 Boston Marathon, which he completed in 1 hour, 18 minutes, 27 seconds. He was also awarded the Laureus World Sports Awards for Sportsperson with a Disability of the year for 2006. At the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, he won a bronze medal in the 400 metres. At the next Paralympics in Athens, he won a silver medal in the 800 metre race, another silver in the 1500 metres, and a bronze in the 5000 metres. At the Beijing Olympic Ernst won gold in the hand cycling marathon as well as bronze in the wheelchair marathon. Other handcycling achievements include: Obtaining a silver and bronze medal at the 2009 UCI World Championships held in Italy and taking double gold (road race and time trial) at the 2007 UCI World Championships held in Bordeaux.
Contents |
Ernst was born with congenital absence of both legs. His parents, two provincial-level athletes, recognized his athletic abilities and encouraged sports participation. At first he went to school in Graaff-Reinet, but the school couldn't cater for him. Then he attended the Elizabeth Conradie school for disabled children in Kimberley. He competed as a swimmer nationally in his teens. In 1992 he enrolled in Stellenbosch University and competed in the Barcelona Paralympics as a swimmer and wheelchair athlete. Thereafter, he concentrated on wheelchair athletics.
| Year | Boston Marathon[2] | New York City Marathon | Paris Marathon | Los Angeles Marathon | Great North Run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1:25:12 | ||||
| 2002 | 1:23:19 | ||||
| 2003 | 1:28:32 | ||||
| 2004 | 1:18:27 (WR) | ||||
| 2005 | 1:24:11 | ||||
| 2006 | 1:25:29 | (CR) | |||
| 2007 | 42:35 | ||||
| 2008 | 1:26:49 | ||||
| 2009 | 1:33:29 | ||||
| 2010 | 1:26:53 | ||||
| WR – World Record CR – Course record |
|||||
His ninth win in the 2010 Boston Marathon is a record for that event in any class. On 20 April 2010 the South African government announced that van Dyk will be awarded the Order of Ikhamanga in silver for his achievements in sport.[3]