Gert Potgieter (athlete)

Gert Potgieter

Medal record
Men's Athletics
Competitor for  South Africa
British Empire and Commonwealth Games
Gold	1958 Cardiff	440 yards hurdles
Gold	1958 Cardiff	4x440 yards relay

Gert Potgieter (born 16 April 1937 in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) is a retired South African Track and field athletics competitor, primarily known for the 400 metre and 440 yard hurdles.^[1] His innovation was to run 14 steps between the hurdles (alternating legs at each).^[2] For perspective, 1980's legend Edwin Moses' innovation was to run 13 steps. Current world record holder Kevin Young was able to achieve 12 steps between some hurdles.

He did participate in the 1956 Summer Olympics at the age of 19 and was in third position until he fell over the final hurdle, ultimately finishing sixth.

In 1957 he ran the 440 yard hurdles in 50.7 at an event in Queenstown, Eastern Cape. Only two days later was the public informed that it was a new world record.^[2]

At the 1958 Common Wealth Games he improved his record to 49.73. At 23 he, had achieved the world's best time in the event 49.3 (on a single turn, oversized track which disqualified any official world record). Potgeiter was a favorite for the Gold Medal^[3] at the 1960 Summer Olympics, but was seriously injured in an automobile accident in Germany two weeks before the Olympics,^[4] effectively ending his career at the age of 23 years. Despite a partial loss of sight, after years of physical therapy, he did manage to return to win the South African championship in the Decathlon in 1966. After 1956's disappointment in Melbourne, he proceeded to hit the world record four times.

Potgieter is currently managing an academy called Life is a Ball for underprivileged children.^[5] Potgieter was named South African Athlete of the Twentieth Century in 2012.^[6]

Through his career as the country's most prominent athlete, Potgieter was a founding member of these organizations:

• The Athletics Coach Association
• The South Africa Schools Sports Federation which in 1979 became the first `` Integrated 'schools sports governing body in South Africa
• The first national Olympic Academy after South Africa was accepted back into international competition
• The first national Olympic Sports Museum

He also is an executive with the South African Amateur Athletics Association. He worked for 20 years supervising sports at the University of Pretoria before retiring.^[2]

He married German Olympian Renate Junker in 1962.^[7] A guest of the wedding was politician Pik Botha, who had his car stolen during the wedding.^[2]

References