Okkert Brits

Okkert Brits

Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  South Africa
World Championships
	2003 Paris	Pole vault
World Indoor Championships
	1995 Barcelona	Pole vault
Commonwealth Games
	2002 Manchester	Pole vault
All-Africa Games
	1995 Harare	Pole vault
	1999 Johannesburg	Pole vault
African Championships
	1992 Belle-Vue	Pole vault
	1993 Durban	Pole vault
	1998 Dakar	Pole vault
	2006 Bambous	Pole vault

Okkert Brits (born 22 August 1973, in Uitenhage) is a former South African track and field athlete who specialised in the pole vault. He was the silver medallist at the World Championships in Athletics in 2003. He was a four-time champion at the African Championships in Athletics and twice champion at the All-Africa Games. He was a gold medallist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and took bronze at the 1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships.

His personal best of 6.03 m, set in 1995, is the African record. This made him the first African in the 6 metres club of vaulters. He competed in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games finishing seventh in 2000. He ranked number one in the world for the 1995 season.

He has been married to Jane Gillespie since 2003; they are the parents of Sarah Jane Brits (born in 2005) and David Okkert Brits (born in 2006). In 2009, Brits took part in the 3rd season of Survivor: South Africa, placing eighth.

In January 2003, Brits tested positive for a banned substance ephedrine, which he claimed must have been in the energy supplement he took. For its being his first offence and ephedrine only being a stimulant, he was only given a public warning.^[1][2]

Competition record

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing  South Africa
1992	African Championships	Belle Vue Mauricia, Mauritius	1st	5.35 m
	World Junior Championships	Seoul, South Korea	3rd	5.40 m
1993	African Championships	Dakar, Senegal	1st	5.40 m
	World Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	15th (q)	5.65 m
1994	Commonwealth Games	Victoria, Canada	–	NM
1995	World Indoor Championships	Barcelona, Spain	3rd	5.75 m
	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	4th	5.80 m
	All-Africa Games	Harare, Zimbabwe	1st	5.50 m
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, United States	–	NM
1997	World Indoor Championships	Paris, France	6th	5.65 m
	World Championships	Athens, Greece	–	NM
1998	African Championships	Dakar, Senegal	1st	5.40 m
1999	World Championships	Seville, Spain	10th	5.50 m
	All-Africa Games	Johannesburg, South Africa	1st	5.40 m
2000	Olympic Games	Sydney	7th	5.80 m
2001	World Indoor Championships	Lisbon, Portugal	7th	5.60 m
2002	Commonwealth Games	Manchester, United Kingdom	1st	5.75 m
2003	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham, United Kingdom	–	NM
	World Championships	Paris, France	2nd	5.85 m
2004	World Indoor Championships	Budapest, Hungary	9th (q)	5.70 m
	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	19th (q)	5.60 m
2006	African Championships	Bambous, Mauritius	1st	5.20 m

Survivor South Africa: Santa Carolina

In 2010, Brits competed on the third season of Survivor South Africa, Survivor South Africa: Santa Carolina. He made the merge, and ultimately was voted out in 8th place. He cast his jury vote for Perle "GiGi" van Schalkwyk, who ultimately won the competition.

See also

• List of champions of Africa of athletics
• List of doping cases in athletics

References

External links

• Okkert Brits at World Athletics
• Okkert Brits at Olympics.com
• Okkert Brits at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)

This page was last edited on 11 January 2024, at 22:03