Henricho Bruintjies

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

Career

Bruintjies took up athletics as a grade 1 schoolboy. He represented South Africa at the 2013 Summer Universiade in the 4 × 100 metres relay; the South African team placed seventh. In 2014, Bruintjies improved his personal best to 10.17 (+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. 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. 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.

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.