Four months ago, he was still best known as a former professional tennis player, who has since become the sports organizer at the St. Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls in Pretoria, while also running a tennis academy at that school.

Two weeks ago, however, Wikus Myburg shocked experts and long-time observers of track cycling with his brilliant performances at the national track cycling championships in Cape Town.

The novice, who tried track cycling for the first time in his life at the beginning of the year, is now South Africa’s new big hope for an international breakthrough in this sport.

He was crowned Gauteng champion earlier this year after only two months of active participation in track cycling, but few experts were prepared for what Myburg would achieve at the SA championships. He also hit this championship like a tornado with victories in three divisions and one silver medal.

Myburg won gold at the national championships in the Team Sprint, Match Sprint and 1500m Keirin races, while earning silver in the 1000m race.

This achievement now makes him officially South Africa’s top elite track cyclist. It also means that he is on his way to the African Championships, which will be held in Nigeria in June.

Myburg’s performance at the SA championships earned him a lot of points in his attempt to also qualify for the world championships, which will be held in France in August this year. He still needs 500 points for that, but he is confident that he will achieve this goal fairly easily.

In the meantime, he is on his way to Europe, where he will compete in Belgium and Germany to gain further experience, as well as to collect points for qualification for the world championship. After the African Championships in June, Myburg will leave for America, where he will prepare for the World Championships.

Meanwhile, Rekord spoke to Charles Kros of Gauteng Cycling about Myburg’s remarkable rise as a track cyclist.

According to Kros, South Africa has not seen anything like this in the past. He emphasized that track cycling is a very specialized discipline and due to the marginalized nature of participation and opportunities, it is difficult for newcomers to make their mark.

Kros believes what Myburg has achieved in four months is nothing short of remarkable. He predicts a very rosy future for Myburg in the sport.

He also hopes that Myburg will build on his achievements and become an ambassador for track cycling in South Africa, so that the sport can once again come to the attention of the public and grow in popularity among participants.

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