Hendrick Ramaala competing in a race. Image by Government ZA
Hendrick Ramaala no longer a record holder, so who is he?
For 24 years Hendrick Ramaala held the South African 10 000m record which has just been broken but the athlete’s legacy continues.
Hendrick Ramaala competing in a race. Image by Government ZA
For 24 years Hendrick Ramaala held the South African 10 000m record which has just been broken by Adrian Wildschutt but the athlete’s legacy continues.
ALSO READ: May USSA Track and Field Championships: Day 1 Results
Who is hendrick ramaala?
Born in 1972 the 51-year-old Hendrick Ramaala is a South African Long-distance running stalwart. Having matriculated from St. Bede’s secondary school in ga-Molepo area, Polokwane he went on to graduate from the University of the Witwatersrand with a law degree. Despite being academically gifted his talents on the track and later the road has been what has set him apart.
In the 10 000m Ramaala set the South African record of 27:29.94 in Port Elizabeth on 22 February 1999. The record would remain unbeaten for 24 years until Wildschutt bested it by six seconds. This was not his only athletic success, however.
In 2004 he won the New York City Marathon and Mumbai Marathon. Additionally, he has two silver medals from the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 1998 and 1999. 2006 saw him win the the men’s Great North and South Runs. He is a two-time national champion in the 5.000 metres.
ALSO READ: May USSA Track and Field Championships: Day 2 Results
Career Highlights:
SA Records:
- 10,000m – 27:29
- 21,1km – 59:20
Major Achievements:
- Winner – New York Marathon 2004
- Winner – Mumbai Marathon 2004
- 3 x Winner – Great North Run (’97 / ’02 /’06)
- 2 x 3rd place – London Marathon ’05 / ’06 (BP 2:06:55)
- Winner – Lisbon Half 2001
- Winner – World Best 10km ’01 and ’02
- 2nd place – Two Oceans Marathon (56km) 2014
- 2 x Silver Medallist – IAAF World Half Marathon Championships ’98 / ’99
- 4 x Olympic Games – ’96 / ’00 / ’04 / ’08
- 7 x IAAF World T/F championships participant
ALSO READ: 25-year-old Adrian Wildschutt breaks SA 10 000m record
the Hendrick ramaala Sports Foundation
The Zoo Lake Runners Group which serves as the back bone for the Hendrick Ramaala Sports Foundation was founded in 1994. The group trains on the legendary 3.5km grass loop at the Zoo Lake Park in Johannesburg designed by Ramaala himself who decided to move to this grass venue to avoid hard road surfaces that gave him serious injuries.
Hendrick is still involved in the group and the sport to this day as the NPO grows. He currently coaches a number of prominent athletes and you can find out more about them here.
