Gerhardus Pienaar (born 10 August 1981 in Rustenburg, North West

Rustenburg, North West

Rustenburg |Dutch]]: Town of Rest) is a city and a local municipality of 395,539 inhabitants situated at the foot of the Magaliesberg mountain range in North West Province of South Africa...

) is a South African javelin throw

Javelin throw

The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...

er and former Junior World Champion from South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

. His personal best throw is 84.50 metres, achieved in October 2003 in Hyderabad. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest javelin throwers in South African history.

Early life

Although Pienaar was born in Rustenburg South Africa, he grew up in Middelburg Mpumalanga where he attended Kanonkop Primary and Kanonkop High School. Pienaar excelled as an athlete from an early age and was notably stronger and faster than his teammates. During Primary School, his strongest athletic events were the 100 meter sprint and shot put. He represented his province at a national level and there are still many of his records to this date at the town’s local track and field events.

Pienaar took on the javelin throw at age 15 and only seriously at age 16. He quickly became the number one athlete in his school and eventually the South African province of Mpumalanga. He won every major high school track and field event and in 1998 became the Junior South African Champion at age 16, only one year after he picked up a javelin for the first time. Later that year, Pienaar was selected to represent South Africa at the IAAF World Junior Championship in Annecy, France. He won the silver medal with a distance of 71.16 meters. In October he same year, he became the Junior World Champion at the ISF junior World Championships held in Shanghai with a winning distance of 79.46. Shortly after his return from Shanghai, Pienaar threw an unofficial distance of 81.94 at a local high school track and field event. The distance was further than the official junior world record, but due to the event staff and measuring equipment not having been officially calibrated, Pienaar's junior world record could not be regarded as official by the IAAF.

Pienaar graduated from Kanonkop High School in Middelburg, South Africa and was invited to attend the prestigious training group at Potchefstroom University under the watchful eye of coach Tersis Liebenburg in 2000. During his tenure at Potchefstroom, he won the gold medal at the IAAF Coca Cola World Junior Championships held in Santiago, Chile with a distance of 78.11.
He completed his first year and remained a student until 2001 when he decided to pursue athletics full time.

Career

2001
Pienaar had a best performance of 80.77 in Potchefstroom and also was a World Student Games Finalist.

2002
Pienaar became the South African champion and won the gold medal at the African Championships in Rades, Tunisia with a distance of 78.63. He also came in 5th place at the IAAF World Cup in Athletics held in Madrid, Spain. His season best was 81.40 in Boechout, Belgium.

2003
Pienaar again won the South African Championship and threw a personal best of 84.50 in Hyderabad, India. This qualified Pienaar for the Olympic games in Athens, Greece.

2004
Pienaar held on to his National Champion title and Pienaar again won the gold medal at the African Championships in Brazzaville, in the Republic of the Congo, with a distance of 78.31. Pienaar made the final round of the 28th Olympic games in Athens and ended in 7th place with a distance of 79.95. His personal best for the season was 82.34. which he threw at Warsaw, Poland.

2005
Pienaar lost his South African title to Lohan Rautenbach and had a season best of 77.07.

2006
Pienaar regained the South African title again won the gold medal at the African Championships in Bambous,Mauritius with a distance of 77.55. Pienaar qualified for the Common Wealth Games in Sydney, Australia and finished in 4th place. Pienaar also attended the IAAF World Cup in Athens and won the silver medal with a distance of 83.62.

2007
Pienaar won the silver medal at the South African National Championship with a season best of 82.96. in Oudshoorn, South Africa. He also came in 7th place at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan with a distance of 79.30.

2008
Pienaar again won the silver medal at the South African National Championship with a distance of 80.49. His personal best for the season was 80.49 which he threw at Goteborg, Sweden and just fell short of the Olympic qualifying distance of 81.80.

2009
Pienaar through a season best of 78.14 in Doha, Qatar.

2010
Pienaar again won the South African Championship and won silver at the IAAF Continental Cup with a season best of 83.19 in Split, Croatia.

2010
Pienaar opened the season with a distance of 77.65 in Bellville South Africa.

Achievements

Representing
1998	World Junior Championships 1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 1998 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 1998 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Annecy, France from July 28 to August 2, 1998.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:...	Annecy Annecy Annecy is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy , 35 kilometres south of Geneva.-Administration:... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...	2nd
2000	World Junior Championships 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics The 2000 World Junior Championships in Athletics is the 2000 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Santiago, Chile.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:...	Santiago, Chile Chile Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...	1st
2001	Universiade 2001 Summer Universiade The 2001 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXI Summer Universiade, was an international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, People's Republic of China, between the 22 August and 1 September. A total of 6757 athletes from 165 nations took part in 12 sports...	Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... , China	5th
2002	African Championships 2002 African Championships in Athletics The 13th African Championships in Athletics were held in Tunis and Radès, Tunisia in August, 2002.- Men's Results :-Field:-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics...	Radès Radès Radès is a harbour city in Ben Arous Governorate, Tunisia. Situated 9 kilometres south-east of the capital Tunis, some consider it a Tunis suburb, and parts of the harbour installations of Tunis are located in Radès.... , Tunisia Tunisia Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...	1st
2003	Universiade 2003 Summer Universiade The 2003 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXII Summer Universiade, took place in Daegu, South Korea.-Emblem:* The alphabet letter "U" and five stars, which is FISU's emblem, make up the basis of the emblem for the Daegu Universiade....	Daegu Daegu Daegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the... , South Korea South Korea The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...	5th
	Afro-Asian Games Athletics at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games The athletics events at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games were held from October 28 to October 30, 2003 at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium. A total of 42 events were contested at the inaugural edition of the Games.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:Key:...	Hyderabad, India	1st	PB throw
2004	African Championships 2004 African Championships in Athletics The 14th African Championships in Athletics were held in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo in July, 2004. Since African Championships is a biennial event, this edition was contested only a month before 2004 Summer Olympics. Thus some top athletes shunned the event...	Brazzaville Brazzaville -Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo... , Congo	1st
	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	14th	79.95 m
2006	Commonwealth Games Athletics at the 2006 Commonwealth Games At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held in Melbourne, Australia from 19 March to 25 March 2006. A total of 47 events were contested, of which 24 by male and 23 by female athletes. Furthermore, three men's and three women's disability events were held within the programme...	Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...	4th
	African Championships 2006 African Championships in Athletics The 15th African Championships in Athletics were held in Mauritius between August 9 and August 13, 2006. The event was staged at Stade Germain Comarmond in Bambous, Black River district...	Bambous, Mauritius Mauritius Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...	1st
2010	African Championships 2010 African Championships in Athletics The 2010 African Championships in Athletics was held in Nairobi, Kenya from 28 July to 1 August 2010.-Background:The African Championships in Athletics were held in Kenya for the first time...	Nairobi Nairobi Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is... , Kenya Kenya Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...	2nd
	Continental Cup 2010 IAAF Continental Cup The 1st IAAF Continental Cup was an international track and field sporting event held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations. Originally scheduled as the 11th IAAF World Cup in Athletics, it was renamed in 2008 when the IAAF revamped the competition format...	Split Split (city) Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and... , Croatia Croatia Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...	2nd
2011	All-Africa Games Athletics at the 2011 All-Africa Games The athletics competition at the 2011 All-Africa Games was held from 11–15 September 2011 at the Estádio do Zimpeto in Maputo, Mozambique.-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:-Elite competition:-Para-sport competition:-Games statistics:...	Maputo, Mozambique	4th	70.16 m Athletics at the 2011 All-Africa Games – Men's javelin throw The men's javelin throw event at the Athletics at the 2011 All-Africa Games was held on 15 September.-Results:-References:**...

External links

• sports-reference