Athletics: Ernst van Dyk
Brad Morgan
8 February 2007
South African has a rich tradition in the marathon, with athletes in recent years recording victories in among other races the Olympics, New York, and Seoul. However, it is in the Boston Marathon that the Rainbow Nation has really excelled with wheelchair superstar Ernst van Dyk winning the world-famous and tradition-rich race six times in succession.
World record
Not only has Van Dyk owned the Boston Marathon, competing against the world's elite wheelchair athletes, he also set the world record in the event in 2004 when he cracked the magical one hour, 20 minute mark, smashing through the barrier with his time of one hour, 18 minutes and 27 seconds.
In 2005, apart from winning the Boston Marathon as seems to be his annual rite, he also recorded
victories in the New York, Paris, Seoul, and Oita marathons. In 2006 he added another win in Boston, as well as victories in the Schenkon, Los Angeles, and OCC marathons.
Van Dyk also excelled in handcycling, winning the South African Championships, the Argus Cycle Tour, the EHC Circuit Race at Spijkernisse and the Saddlers Ultra Challenge in Alaska. He also finished runner-up at the European Championship road race and time trial.
Laureus Sports Awards
His incredible run of success earned him a nomination for the Laureus Sportsperson of the Year for an athlete with a disability.
At the gala dinner, recognized as the "Oscars of Sport", Van Dyk was named the winner of the award, chosen by The Laureus World Sports Academy, which is made up of former sporting greats, including South Africa's Morne du Plessis and Gary Player.
Other members of the academy include Franz Beckenbauer, Sergey Bubka, Ian Botham, Sean Fitzpatrick, Miguel
Indurain, Jack Nicklaus, Martina Navratilova, Edwin Moses, Jack Nicklaus, Tony Hawk, Dan Marino and Viv Richards.
Top swimmer
Before he made his mark in wheelchair racing and handcycling, Van Dyk, who was born with congenital birth defects that required a double amputation of his legs from the knee down, also shone as a swimmer.
He won national colours at the age of 17 and in 1992 participated in the Barcelona Olympics, both as a swimmer and a wheelchair athlete. He finished fifth in the pool and made it into the semi-finals of his wheelchair events.
Something pivotal to his career path happened in Barcelona too. The cheering of the crowd when he circled the track made such an impression on Van Dyk that he decided to quit swimming and concentrate on wheelchair racing. His decision has proved to be a brilliant one.
Greatest achievement
For all his success in sport, though, which has also
included two Paralympic silver medals and a bronze, as well as two gold medals at the Paralympic World Cup, Van Dyk feels his greatest achievement has come away from the track. For him, earning a degree in sports science from the University of Stellenbosch is his number-one achievement, especially as he was the first disabled person to graduate with it.
It's incredible to reflect on the words of the doctor to his parents after he was born. They were told: "This child will suffer from a lack of quality of life due to his disability. You should put him up for adoption."
Today, Van Dyk uses those words to motivate to him to achieve all around the world. Any physical disability that Van Dyk has, he has overcome and then some with a spirit and talent that far outweighs any disability.
| 
