On to the Olympic and Paralympic games

You might be surprised to learn that Krugersdorp is home to one of the best and top-rated athletic coaching academies in the country.

Pierre Blignaut and Eben Vermaas, the co-founders of the Pierre Blignaut Shot Put and Discus Academy recently proved that their training techniques can take South African athletes all the way to the international stage.

Since they founded the club in 2011, Pierre and Eben took Kyle Blignaut (no relation) under their wings when he was just nine years old. Now, a little more than 12 years later, Kyle and Jason van Rooyen, who has been training with the Academy for just over five years, have been accepted to participate in the 2021 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo in the shot put item.

During this year’s Athletics Central North tournament Jason achieved a 21,14m throw, which was sufficient to qualify for the Olympics. Kyle achieved a new personal best throw of 21,03m at the same tournament, just 7cm shy of an Olympics-qualifying distance. A few days later he made up for it by throwing 21,21m during the USSA Championship, making him the third best South African shot put athlete of all time.

Pierre, an athlete of note when he was younger, competed at provincial level and eventually received his Springbok colours as a master shot put athlete at age 42. Having been coaching athletes for 42 years straight, he brings a knowledge set to his athletes that’s difficult to come by in South Africa.

He currently coaches his athletes under the Pierre Blignaut Shot Put and Discus Academy banner in Krugersdorp, with regular practices at Hoërskool Noordheuwel’s sports field.

Also under his mentorship for about four years now are Simone Kruger and Yané van der Merwe who have qualified for the 2021 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, awaiting final confirmation. Simone, at 16 years old, beat her own F38 women’s world discus record in May with a best distance of 34,53m, securing her spot in the Paralympics. Yané also set two African records in both women’s shot put and discus.

Pierre explained that his athletes train nearly every day of the year, though they scale back during off-season to give their bodies sufficient time to recuperate.

It’s impossible to determine whether an athlete will be able to reach these heights while they are young. It all depends on the support they receive from parents, schools and universities. There are also several expenses that need to be considered relating to gymnasiums, dieticians, physiotherapists and biokineticists who have to be consulted every now and again. A lot also depends on each athlete’s dedication and love for the sport,” Pierre explained.

Asked what it takes to become an Olympic-level athlete, Pierre said it’s paramount to receive the best possible coaching, be exposed to healthy competition from training partners on the regular, receive lots of support from parents, and be exceptionally determined to work hard and win.

“Going to the Olympics and Paralympics will have an enormous impact on their lives. Usually, the course of their sports careers and lives are changed as they start being looked at as role models to others.”