 Edmund du Plessis at the 2024 Summer Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | South African |
| Born | 5 April 2002 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Middle distance running |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 400m: 48.29 (Pretoria, 2024) 800m: 1:44.22 (Dublin, 2024) 1500m: 3:50.63 (Johannesburg, 2023) |
Edmund du Plessis, AKA The Spoed Volstruis (born 5 April 2002) is a South African middle distance runner. In 2023 and 2024 he won national titles over 800 metres. [1]
He won the 800 metres at the South African Athletics Championships in 2023 and 2024, setting a new lifetime best of 1:44.92 at the 2024 event. He also set a 48.29 400m personal best in 2024. [2] [3]
He ran a time of 1:44.49 in Madrid in June 2024 to meet the Olympic qualifying standard. [4] Du Plessis set an Irish all-comers record of 1:44.22 in the 800m at the Morton Games in Dublin in July 2024. [5]
He competed in the 800 metres at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in August 2024, where he reached the semi-finals. [6] [7]
He studies medicine at the University of Pretoria. [8]
The 800 metres, or 800 meters, is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since the first modern games in 1896. During the winter track season the event is usually run by completing four laps of an indoor 200-metre track.
Mokgadi Caster Semenya OIB is a South African middle-distance runner and winner of two Olympic gold medals and three World Championships in the women's 800 metres. She first won gold at the World Championships in 2009 and went on to win at the 2016 Olympics and the 2017 World Championships, where she also won a bronze medal in the 1500 metres. After the doping disqualification of Mariya Savinova, she was also awarded gold medals for the 2011 World Championships and the 2012 Olympics.
Taoufik Makhloufi is an Algerian athlete who specialises in middle-distance running. He became the 1500 metres Olympic champion at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England. In 2016, Makhloufi took the silver medal in the 800m and 1500 m at the Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil.
Francine Niyonsaba is a Burundian runner who specialized in the 800 metres and shifted to longer distances in 2019. She was the 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist in the women's 800 metres. Her silver medal was the first Olympic medal for Burundi since 1996. Niyonsaba won a silver in the event at the 2017 World Championships.
Jacob Rozani is a South African middle distance runner.
Nagmeldin "Peter" Bol is an Australian middle-distance runner who competes in the 800 metres. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Olympics, placed fourth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Marco Arop is a Canadian track and field athlete competing in the middle distance events. Arop is the reigning world champion in the 800 m, winning gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championship, after winning bronze the previous year at the 2022 World Athletics Championships. He was the first Canadian to win a world championship in the 800 m. Arop was also the 2019 Pan American Games champion in 800 m.
Bryce Hoppel is an American middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres. He is the reigning 800 metres world indoor champion having won gold at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow. He also is a seven-time U.S. champion and two-time NCAA champion over the distance. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Hoppel set an American record in the event, with a time of 1:41.67 to become the seventh fastest man and the second fastest North American man at the distance.
Eliott Crestan is a Belgian middle-distance runner specialising in the 800 metres. In this disciplone, he won bronze medals at the 2018 World U20 Championships and the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships. In 2024, he broke Ivo Van Damme's 800 metres national record that had stood for 48 years with a time of 1:42.43. He participated in the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics, reaching the semi-final stage in both. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in the men's 800 meters semifinals, Crestan ran the fastest non-final qualifying time in Olympic history of 1:43.72.
Djamel Sedjati is an Algerian middle-distance runner specializing in the 800 meters. He is the fifth fastest man in history at the distance, behind Marco Arop, Emanuel Wanyonyi, Wilson Kipketer and world record holder David Rudisha. Sedjati won the bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 800 metres event.
Ali Idow Hassan is a Somali middle distance runner who has competed at multiple Olympic Games.
Max Burgin is a British middle-distance runner specialising in the 800 metres.
Brad Mathas is a New Zealand middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres. He is a multiple-time national champion in the 800 metres and represented New Zealand at the World Athletics Championships and the Commonwealth Games.
Navasky Anderson is a Jamaican middle-distance runner. He represented Jamaica in the 800m at the 2022 World Athletics Championships and finished fifth at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. He is the Jamaican national record holder over 800 metres both indoors and outdoors.
James Preston is a track and field athlete from New Zealand. He is a multiple time national champion over 800 metres and the current New Zealand record holder.
Prudence Tebogo Sekgodiso, also spelled Prudence Sekgodisa, is a South African middle-distance runner specializing in the 800 metres. She was the gold medalist in the 800 m at the 2019 African U18 Championships. She is also a five-time South African Athletics Championships winner in the 1500 m and 800 m.
Kethobogile Haingura is a Botswana middle distance runner. In 2024, he became national champion over 1500 metres.
Lilian Odira is a Kenyan middle distance runner. In 2024, she became Kenyan national champion over 800 metres.
Oratile Nowe is a runner from Botswana. She is a multiple-time national champion and the national record holder over 800 metres.
Corentin Le Clezio is a French middle distance runner. He competed over 800 metres at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
  | This biographical article relating to South African athletics is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
