SA wheelchair racing legend Ernst van Dyk announces retirement in 2023

Legendary South African athlete Ernst van Dyk has confirmed that he will be retiring from racing this year, bringing to an end a stellar career in which he twice won Gold at the Paralympics and broke a record by winning the Boston Marathon Men’s Wheelchair Race TEN times!

Speaking to the Boston Globe this week, Ernst said after a 30-year career he’ll finish in 2023 by competing in four marathons that he loves – “that I’ve either won or have good relationships with” and then “I’m done”!

Ernst, who turned 50 on Tuesday (4 April), will compete in Boston on 17 April, London a week later, then Chicago (October) and end with New York (November).

After the publication posted the story yesterday, Ernst told friends and fans on Facebook: “I guess the news is out now and the timing could not be better. The next season for my life has arrived and I welcome it with peace and clarity.”

Van Dyk was born without legs, and doctors said that he would never live a normal life. They were right – he is living an extraordinary life instead! He began playing sports at an early age, and was first featured by current affairs show Carte Blanche in 2001 when he burst onto the world stage by winning 24 out of 27 international wheelchair races.

The SA wheelchair racer and hand-cyclist has several Paralympic medals (on top of the two Gold), marathon championships and other accolades to his name – including the Laureus World Sports Awards for Sportsperson with a Disability of the year for 2006.

Fifteen years after their first interview, Carte Blanche did a follow-up in 2017 in which they said: “Ernst is still going strong, proving that the only thing that could hold you back is yourself.”

This will be Ernst’s 22nd Boston Marathon. In the Boston Globe interview he reflects on past accomplishments and experiences – including the tragic bombings at the Boston Marathon ten years ago – an event that changed marathon racing forever, he says, from being something “fun” to being seen as a “vulnerable event”.

Ernst said his plan to retire from wheelchair racing came about because of a career opportunity he received in 2021, along with a bout of long COVID that made recovery slow and training less enjoyable.

“I’d rather go and do something totally different like Ironman, and just race against myself and train for fitness and health,” he said.

Speaking about how his faith in God helped his racing, Ernst said a lot about racing is luck, and a lot of it is faith, to get through it in one piece: “Things can go terribly wrong very quickly and I’m just fortunate that I got through all of them and that I was protected.”

Ernst now works for global non-invasive orthopedic company, Össur which develops prosthetic components as well as bracing and support products. He started out as an ambassador for them and became MD in 2022.

“I’m a double amputee myself so I do wear prosthetics and I wear the company’s products and I take care of the business for southern Africa. So, I’m leading a big team here and we work to make sure that people reach optimal mobility,” he said.

Ernst, who has always worked (because his “grandma told me you will get a degree… and you will not rely on sport as an income”, appears to have found his groove and is looking forward to the future. “I’ve always been in people management and sales and this was just an avenue that opened up and I connected really well with the brand and really connected with the culture of the company and found my home here…”

We wish Ernst all the best for this year, and the future! Thanks for inspiring thousands of South Africans.

Read the full interview here.