Tuks’ sportsman of the year, Jovan van Vuuren, decided to keep things simple regarding his new year’s resolution as a long jumper.

“Every time I line up, it will be like it is the last time I compete. I am not going to take anything for granted. A lot is at stake with the World Championships and next year’s Paris Olympic Games,” Van Vuuren remarked during a recent interview.

Athletics authorities upped the qualification standards from last year. To compete at the World Championship, he needs to jump 8.25 metres. The qualifying distance for the Olympics is 8.27 metres.

Van Vuuren’s personal best is 8.16 metres, so these developments are a big challenge for him.

If the Tuks masters student can have his way, he will want to qualify as quickly as possible.

“If I do, it will be a weight off my shoulders. Consistency is going to be essential. The challenge would be to try and average 8.16 metres. It will be the perfect platform to go big,” he said.

Since 2018 Van Vuuren has improved his best performance by 61 centimetres, from 7.55 metres to 8.16 metres. It is no surprise that he did so when listening to him talk about long jumping, which is his great passion in life.

“To me, perfection is that chase to an ever-elusive goal. The thing is that you can never give up. You got to keep on going for it. It means striving to be better today than you were yesterday. That is, how records get set,” he expressed his thoughts philosophically.

Van Vuuren and his coach, Neil Cornelius, decided it was time to change his technique. His approach to take-off is now a ten-step pace and not nine anymore. He is also not doing the hang technique anymore.

“We concluded that I had reached a ceiling and would never get close to 8.40 metres or further. I have also upped the time I spend in the gym. On paper, I am in a perfect place. So, I am excited to see what will happen when I start to compete,” said the South African champion.

In all probability, the Athletics Gauteng North Championships will be Van Vuuren’s first competition. Apart from the South African Championships in Potchefstroom, he will also compete at the South African World Continental Meetings and the one in Botswana.

“I have no choice anymore. I need to start to compete internationally. That is the only way I will be able to improve my world ranking,” Van Vuuren, currently ranked 17th in the long jump, concluded.

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram