JUST THE
START
Pieter Conradie has developed into one of South Africa ’ s fastest 400m runners , alongside the likes of Wayde van Niekerk and LJ van Zyl , and he is already an IAAF World Youth and Junior Championships semi-finalist , boasts a World Student Championships relay medal , and he is the current South African 400m champion . But the best is yet to come from this young sprinter . In spite of only being 23 years old , he has a strong mind and very good support structure on his side , and this has already seen him run 45-second times consistently and win an overseas race in his first European season , but his sights are firmly set on further improvement , an future international success .
Like many boys at Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool in Pretoria , Pieter had ambitions of becoming a top rugby player . He also played cricket , and enjoyed a game of golf , and thus , despite having started running at the age of six , running itself was not a priority . “ I really enjoyed playing rugby at school and I wanted to make it ‘ my ’ sport , but at a top 10 athletics meet in grade 10 , my older brother Chris told me about the World Youth Champs and I decided to go for it . I have never looked back ,” he says .
After being introduced to top athletics coach Nico van Heerden , Pieter ’ s athletic talent soon blossomed , as did his passion for athletics . “ Coach Nico played a big role in my love for the sport because his level of professionalism rubbed off on me , and since then I have just loved the sport .”
Just a year later , Pieter won the South African Youth Championships 400m gold medal , clocking 46.88 seconds , which saw him being selected to represent South Africa at the World Youth Championships , where he managed to make the semi-finals in the 400m . That same year he was part of the SA relay team that took the 4x100m gold medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games , clocking 41.00 , a new South African Youth record . In 2012 , he was included in the national junior team for the World Junior Championships in Barcelona where he also managed to make the semi-finals .
BACK ON HOME SOIL
After a two-year stint at the University of Texas in the USA , Pieter came back to South Africa to continue his studies and athletic career at Northwest University in Potchefstroom just as the current resurgence in SA sprinting really got started . In 2014 Simon Magakwe became the first South African to dip under 10 seconds in the 100m , whilst Anaso Jobodwana and Wayde van Niekerk showcased on the world stage that South Africa could become the next sprinting powerhouse .
Not scared of taking on a challenge , Pieter initially focused on the 800m , where he regularly clocked 1:48 times and challenged the country ’ s 800m specialists with his competitive times , but that all changed when he started focussing solely on his specialist event , the 400m . And that decision paid off when he was crowned the 2017 South African 400m Champion , clocking a new 45.15 personal best in front of his home crowd in Potch .
“ The big plan is to run a nice 800m eventually , but that is still coming . For now I am focussed on the 400m , and my goal is to make my mark at this year ’ s World Student Champs in Taiwan , but everything is focused on the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo , and with Coach Jean Verster and my brother on my side , my support is there ,” says Pieter , adding that he feels he is moving in the right direction , but has much work to do . “ It feels good to be where I am , but I am far from where I want to be . If you look at how good Wayde is , I can ’ t help but be humbled . The guys are on another level , so I ’ m working really hard to get there .”
PLANNING FOR SUCCESS
As a result of his drive to succeed , since his return to SA , Pieter has worked on his diet , his gym work and every detail that will make a difference . Two years into the plan and he has improved his personal best by more than one second , is looking good to dip under 45 seconds soon – and if he keeps improving at this rate , he could be a real contender in 2020 .
Pieter Conradie is a TomTom Ambassador .
Images : Backtrack Sports & Trevlyn Palframan
16 ISSUE 98 SEPTEMBER 2017 / www . modernathlete . co . za