Gert Potgieter (athlete)

Gert Potgieter (actually: Cornelius Gerhardus Potgieter, born April 16, 1937 in Pretoria) is a South African athlete who belonged in the second half of the 1950s, a world leader in the 400 - meter hurdles. He was the first one stopped electronically ran this distance in less than 50 seconds. On the list of world best years he ranked third in 1957, 1958 and 1960, second in 1959 and even in the first place. Potgieter was known for his habit to change in the middle of running the anchor leg, so that he half each in the 13 's and the 14 he ran the hurdle rhythm track.

Potgieter's successful year was 1958 when he won two gold medals at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff:

• Over 440 y hurdles in world record time of 49.73 seconds ahead of Australian David Lean in 50.59 seconds and the Kenyans Bartonjo Rotich in 51.75 sec
• About 4x440 y in 3:08,21 minutes ahead of the UK in 3:09,61 min and Jamaica in 3:10,08 min

In the following year, 1959, the luck was on his side: He met his future wife, the German long jumper Renate Junker, know, who was staying as a tourist in South Africa. In the Olympic years 1956 and 1960 he was out of luck, however. With the Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne in 1956 he would have won a medal, if he had not stuck at the last hurdle and fell back from the third to the last place. Four years later, it was worse to come for him. First, he made ​​himself the best birthday gift when he on April 16 in Bloemfontein at the South African Championships, after he had won more than 220 y hurdles title ( 22.8 seconds), the 440 hurdles in 49.3 sec y put back. , and was able to experience that this time has been recognized as a new world record, even though it was run on a 500 -meter track with only one curve. Regarding the expected duel with the American Glenn Davis, however, it should not come. A few weeks before the Olympic Games in Rome suffered Potgieter during a stay in Germany a serious car accident in which he lost an eye. The attempt at a comeback failed.

Gert Potgieter and his wife now live in Pretoria.