 Bruintjies at the 2016 Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | July 16, 1993 Paarl, South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 72 kg (159 lb; 11 st 5 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 100 metres 200 metres | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Morne Nagel | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 100 m: 9.97 (2015) 200 m: 20.62 (2015) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Henricho Bruintjies (born 16 July 1993) is a South African sprinter. He broke the 10-second barrier with a run of 9.97 seconds in 2015. He has represented his country at the Summer Olympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games. He is a silver medalist in the 100 metres in the 2018 Commonwealth Games
Bruintjies took up athletics as a grade 1 schoolboy.[1] In 2013, he was the South African under-23 champion in the 100 metres, defeating Akani Simbine in 10.44; at the national senior championships, he placed second behind Simon Magakwe in 10.58.[2][3] He represented South Africa at the 2013 Summer Universiade in the 4 × 100 metres relay; the South African team placed seventh.[2] In 2014, Bruintjies improved his personal best to 10.17A (+1.8 m/s) and ran the opening leg for South Africa's relay team at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow; South Africa placed fourth in a national record 38.35.[2] Bruintjies also competed in the 2014 African Championships, taking part in both the individual 100 metres and the 4 × 100 metres relay; in the individual event, he was eliminated in the semi-finals, while the South African relay team was disqualified in the heats.[2]
2015 was Bruintjies's breakthrough year.[1] On 8 June, he won the 100 m ahead of fellow South African Anaso Jobodwana at the Josef Odložil Memorial in Prague, running 10.06 (+1.5 m/s); the time was his personal best and a South African sea-level record.[3][4] A month later, he ran 9.97 (+0.8 m/s) at near-altitude in La Chaux-de-Fonds, breaking Magakwe's South African record of 9.98; he was the third South African (after Magakwe and Simbine) to break 10 seconds in the 100 metres.[4] Simbine equalled Bruintjies's record at the Universiade only four days later.[4]
Bruintjies was selected for the 2015 World Championships in Beijing.[5]
Bruintjies competed in the 100 m event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He finished 6th in his heat with a time of 10.33 seconds and did not advance to the semifinals.[6]
