Cape Town - A strong wind may have denied him a new South African record, but there’s no doubt that Henricho Bruintjies can run below 9.90 seconds in the 100 metres.
That was the word from Bruintjies’ coach Werner Prinsloo on Monday after the South African champion became the first local athlete to produce a sub-9.90 time with a 9.89 for victory at the Gavardo Meeting in northern Italy on Sunday night.
A tailwind of 4.4 metres per second rendered the time a wind-assisted one as it was beyond the legal limit of 2.0m/s, which meant that it couldn’t be recognised as the new South African record. That 9.96 mark still belongs to Akani Simbine, who is Bruintjies’ training partner in Pretoria under Prinsloo’s guidance as well.
But the 9.89 is still the fastest time in history by a South African athlete for the 100m, and it would’ve clinched a bronze medal at last year’s World Championships in Beijing behind Usain Bolt’s 9.79 and Justin Gatlin’s 9.80.
Bruintjies, who hails from Klapmuts in the Boland, beat his previous best of 9.97 and Prinsloo believes that he can run such a time within the legal wind limit.
“Ja, it’s a pity about the strong wind! He is busy travelling back to his base in Germona today, so I haven’t been able to talk to him. But we did message each other and it is a very good race for him. He is very happy with it, and like I told him, it is a pity that the wind was so strong for him,” Prinsloo told Independent Media.
“But that time is now already in his legs, so he will do it again. Even though the wind was behind him, he now knows that he can run that fast. So at a stage in the season, I think he will be able to run that type of time again.
“Normally if he runs a 10.1 in the heats or semis, then he produces a 10.0 or a sub-10 in the final.”
Bruintjies ran 10.14 in his heat on Sunday, which showed that he was in good form on the day. The 22-year-old was disappointed to register a false start a week earlier in Hengelo in The Netherlands, where he was up against veteran sprinter Kim Collins from St Kitts and Nevis.
The 40-year-old Collins, a 2003 world champion in the 100m, had lost to Bruintjies in the heats on the day already, so Bruintjies would’ve been disappointed to miss out on the final. “I think that spurred him on to do well in Gavardo, as he didn’t want to do that again! After Hengelo, I spoke to him and I said that there are a few technical things that he needs to check as he gets out of the blocks, that he doesn’t go out before the time,” Prinsloo said.
“They have sensors on the blocks and can see who broke contact first with the blocks. And I think because Kim Collins was also in the race, Henricho really wanted to beat him. I think he was a bit anxious in the blocks and tried to get away before the gun instead of reacting to the gun.”
Bruintjies took to Twitter after Sunday night’s race and retweeted well wishes from various quarters, and simply stated “Wasn’t bad...thank god for the win”. One of the retweets about his 9.89 time was from Springbok wing Bryan Habana, and Bruintjies responded with “@BryanHabana getting a retweet from my all time sporting hero made my day”.
Habana replied on Monday by saying: “@Henrichob watching your career with interest as you dream big, work hard and make your country proud #Rio2016 #toofast”
Now Bruintjies’ sights are set on the Diamond League events in Europe. His coach says that he will return to his base in Germona, Italy on Monday, and will participate in another race somewhere in Europe this weekend in the hope of cracking the nod for Diamond League races in Oslo and Stockholm before the African Championships in Durban from June 22-26.
“It’s (9.89 in Italy) a very good time in Europe, and it gives him an indication of where he can go. I’ve found with Akani as well, such a time comes when you least expect it – if everything works on the day,” Prinsloo said.
“Henricho wants to run good times at the moment, as he is looking for Diamond League races. He wants to secure invites, which is why he wants to run good times. If he’s in a strong field, he is someone who will push himself. He is building up to the big moments.”
@IndyCapeSport
Independent Media