Emile Erasmus

Emile Erasmus
Personal information
Nationality South African
Born (1992-04-03) 3 April 1992
Pretoria, South Africa[1]
Height 192 cm (6 ft 3 1⁄2 in)[1]
Weight 99 kg (218 lb)
Sport
Country South Africa
Sport Athletics
Event(s) 100 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s) 100 m: 10.01 (2018)
Medal record
Representing  South Africa
Men's athletics
Commonwealth Games
2018 Gold Coast4 × 100 m relay

Emile Erasmus (born 3 April 1992) is a South African male track and field sprinter who specialises in the 100 metres. He holds a personal best of 10.01 seconds for the distance.

His first international medal came at the 2011 African Junior Athletics Championships, where he won a bronze in the 100 m, while his compatriot Gideon Trotter took gold.[2] He undertook a degree in civil engineering at the University of Pretoria and continued to train under coach Frans van Rooyen. Standing at 192 cm (6 ft 3 1⁄2 in), he admired Usain Bolt for proving that height was not necessarily an impediment to speed.[1]

Erasmus improved his 100 m best to 10.23 seconds in the 2014 season, placing third at the South African Athletics Championships. He repeated that feat at the 2015 and 2016 national championships, earning him a place in the national team for the 2016 African Championships in Athletics.[3] Leading off the 4 × 100 metres relay team with Wayde van Niekerk, Tlotliso Leotlela, and Akani Simbine, the quartet took the gold medal.[4] He made an individual breakthrough in the 2017 season with a new 100 m best of 10.08 seconds in his native Pretoria. He spent June and July competing in European meetings that year.[3]

He was selected to compete at the 2018 IAAF World Indoor Championships, but had to withdraw due to an Achilles tendon issue.[5] Erasmus helped set a South African record of 38.24 seconds in the relay at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, taking the silver medals alongside Henricho Bruintjies, Anaso Jobodwana and Akani Simbine (Simbine and Bruintjies had previously completed a 1–2 individually).[6]

International competitions

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
2011 African Junior Championships Gaborone, Botswana 3rd 100 m 10.70
2016 African Championships Durban, South Africa 1st 4 × 100 m relay 38.84
2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia 2nd 4 × 100 m relay 38.24 NR
African Championships Asaba, Nigeria 34th (h) 200 m 21.851
1st 4 × 100 m relay 38.25

1: Did not start in the semifinals

References

  1. 1 2 3 Emile Erasmus. GC2018. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  2. ↑ SA Juniors add five medals. Sport 24 (2011-05-13). Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  3. 1 2 Emile Erasmus. IAAF. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  4. ↑ African Championships, Durban (South Africa) 22-26/06/2016. Africa Athle. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  5. ↑ Etheridge, Mark (2018-02-25). Freak injury rules Erasmus out of worlds. Team SA. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  6. ↑ Result - Men's 4 x 100m Relay Final. GC2018. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
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