In the final installment of a series on the elite SA athletes striving to carry the flag at the 2024 Olympics, Team SA looks at shot putter Kyle Blignaut.
Before qualifying for last year’s Tokyo Olympics, Kyle Blignaut stated his long-term goals.
“Just to be at the Olympics, throwing with those guys, will be a great experience for me,” he said. “But 2024 is my focus and in 2028 I definitely want to win.”
Blignaut qualified for the Olympics with a winning throw of 21.21m while representing the University of Pretoria at the USSA Championships in Johannesburg.
And in Tokyo, he became only the second South African to make an Olympic shot put final (Janus Robberts achieved the feat at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney).
In 33°C heat, Blignaut threw 20.29 (first throw), 21.00 (third), 20.96 (fourth) and 20.46 (fifth) to finish sixth. American Ryan Crouser took gold with an Olympic record of 23.30, his countryman Joe Kovacs silver (22.65) and New Zealander Tomas Walsh bronze (22.47).
“My first was a 20 and then my second throw was a no throw and I had to do it the hard way,” Blignaut said. “I knew it was in me so I just needed to keep that composure and do what we’ve done in training.
“The sweating and the humidity really played a role and I think with some of the big names struggling in the qualifiers, it’s all about the conditions and I think people weren’t ready for it. I’m just happy to be placed sixth in the world in my first Olympics.”
Blignaut, who stands 1.95m tall and weighs 148kg, played rugby at Monument High but soon realised that shot put was where his future lay.
In 2018, while representing his school, he broke the national junior record of 20.50m that had stood for nearly 20 years, throwing a 6kg shotput 20.66m. Later that year, he heaved 21.65m to win the Southern Region U20 Championships in Boksburg.
Blignaut then struck gold at the 2018 IAAF World U20 Championships in Tampere, throwing 22.07m in the fifth round – 1cm further than Adrian Piperi. The American had taken the lead with a massive 22.06 but Blignaut hit back immediately.
“Adrian brought the best out of me with that big shot,” the South African said.
READ: Simbine has burning desire to win
Blignaut made a successful transition from junior to senior level, where the increased shot weight of 7.26kg requires a new approach and technique from the athlete.
In 2021, the University of Johannesburg BCom business management student began his season with a career-best 20.90m at an ACNW Open meeting in Potchefstroom and went on to qualify for the Olympics with that winning throw of 21.21m on his last attempt. It put him fourth on the South Africa all-time list.
“I was not feeling at my best while I warmed up. My body was sluggish. So I did a few more warm-up throws to get my muscles going,” Blignaut said.
“My fourth throw of 21.14 got my adrenaline pumping. I have been throwing that sort of distance regularly during training, so doing it in a competition proved to me that I am on the right track with my training. I was really focused on my last attempt, making sure that I execute my technique to perfection.”
Blignaut went on to gain valuable experience in Tokyo and, after finishing sixth, sounded a warning to his potential opponents in 2024.
“I like that my best years are still ahead of me, I have 12 or 13 years left in this sport and I’m really glad about what I’ve achieved so far at this age,” he said.
“I’m really inspired by Paris. I feel like a medal is 100% a realistic goal for me, it just depends on the colour.”
