To be called “Oom” is nowadays considered by many to be an insult, but when someone at TuksAthletics should refer to Dup du Preez as “Oom”, it will be out of pure respect.

And rightfully so. “Oom Dup” has been involved in athletics since 1963.

He was a decent athlete in those days. A definite highlight in his own competitive career as a discus athlete was representing South Africa in 1973 against a team from Germany.

“One of the big problems athletes from when I was competing faced was getting a coach to help them. Some of my training partners at the Police College often asked me to assist them. That is how I got into coaching.

He started to coach from quite early on.  1970 was the year he coached his first athlete at Tuks.

Considering that TuksAthletics celebrated 100 years of excellence last year, it is tempting to call him a living legend at the club. The 79-year-old has after all been involved with the club for 49 years.

Like clockwork nearly every afternoon no matter what the weather was like, “Oom Dup” could be seen sitting on his fold-up chair next to the training facilities for shot putters and discus athletes.

Patiently he would be explaining to novices and experienced champions what they needed to do to gain those extra valuable centimetres during competitions. Never once losing his patience.

And if his athletes performed well there was no prouder coach at Tuks than “Oom Dup”. He was motivated to help every athlete he coached to fulfil their dreams.

Unfortunately, for the athletes at Tuks, he has decided it is time for him to move on after four decades of coaching. So, he folded his famous chair one last time and vacated his spot next to the training circle.

According to “Oom Dup” he has no regrets.

“I have been lucky over the years to have coached more than 60 athletes to win South African and African titles. I was also privileged to help athletes medal at the Commonwealth Games and to prepare for World Championships and the Olympic Games,” he explained.

According to Du Preez the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney was perhaps the most special as three of the athletes he coached represented South Africa. They were Fritz and Karel Potgieter, as well as Burger Lambrechts.

The 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Elizna Naude, who was still part of his athletes until his retirement, holds the South African women’s discus record (64.87m).  Orazio Cremona, another of his proteges, is South Africa’s second-best shot putter of all time.

It there is one thing Du Preez is genuinely concerned about, it is that field athletics has apparently become a dying sport.

“I can’t remember when last I coached a real champion in the making. There are various reasons for it. One is that our athletes don’t receive any support. Most of them are sponsored by parents, or they need to fend for themselves,” he said.

Du Preez believes that is why, on average, field athletes tend to retire when they 25 years old. They have no choice as they got to start working to pay back study loans. In international athletics, athletes only begin to come onto their own from 25 onwards.

“The lack of support has led to many a possible future champion being lost to South African athletics. There is no keeping, especially boys, for the sport if rugby is offering professional contracts while they are still at school,” Du Preez concluded.

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