When Jan-Hendrik Heymans pitched his javelin 80.50m to win gold at the recent under-20 world championships in Eugene in Oregon, US, he pegged himself as a solid prospect for the future.
Yet the odds of him reaching the podium at an Olympics or senior world championships hover from 14.3% to 31.25%, depending on the data used.
But the first-year mechanical engineering student at North-West University in Potchefstroom refuses to be restricted by statistics, pointing out that the odds were against him even making it to the US after tearing his hamstring at the national championships in April.
Just as that injury healed, he tore a groin muscle. A month ago he finally resumed training on the track. “I was only doing my run-up for two weeks until [a fortnight] before worlds,” said Heymans, who was then forced to stop again because of a niggle. “That was a close call.”
Those hardships meant little in the heat of battle. Heavily strapped, Heymans threw a world lead that measured more than five metres farther than the next best in his age group.
A big future
His coach, Terseus Liebenberg, one of South Africa’s top track and field coaches, believes the youngster, who turned 19 five days before his gold-winning feat, has a big future. “If he stays injury-free, he’s going to be one of the world’s best,” he said
He rates Heymans’s big-match temperament in the same league as two of his headline throwers, Olympic silver medallist Jo-Ané du Plessis and 1997 world champion Marius Corbett. “Incredibly strong mindset.
“When they go into competition, they are just on a different level. They are able to think clearly, and they are 100% in control of their emotions. That’s what separates good athletes from great athletes.”
Heymans, who comes from Muldersdrift, discovered the discipline through a friend whose father had a couple of javelins, and they started throwing them for fun. “In cricket, I was always the one sitting on the boundary. I was not aiming to just throw the ball in, I was looking [to see] if I could directly hit the stumps.
“Then I shifted to javelin because cricket got boring because I have ADHD, so I can’t sit still for so long. Javelin is intense for six throws, and then you’re done,” added Heymans, who matriculated from Helpmekaar in Johannesburg alongside teammate Leendert Koekemoer, the 400m bronze medallist.
Liebenberg protégés
His two coaches during his school years, Wilhelm Pauer and Hennes de Wet, were both Liebenberg protégés.
Liebenberg said the thrower’s intelligence was a key factor. “He understands things quickly, he can work things out quickly, and he’s going to make it to the top.”
The average duration for South Africans to progress from junior world success to senior podiums is five years and 11 months.
[Heymans] understands things quickly, he can work things out quickly, and he’s going to make it to the top
— Terseus Liebenberg, javelin coach
Corbett took three years and Du Plessis eight.
Liebenberg is in no rush. “It takes time to develop. We’re going to make him strong and make sure that technique, strength, explosive strength, speed, all those different biomotor abilities, flexibility, all develop in harmony. That’s really important — and not one to the detriment of the other. That’s when you start getting problems.”
Heymans would like to do it faster. “Hopefully it doesn’t take six years, but the reality is it is probably going to.”
Most successful discipline
His victory kept javelin as South Africa’s most successful discipline at the under-20 showpiece, with 10 gongs out of the 70 won across 18 editions — Liebenberg played a role in six of them.
One behind javelin is the 400m hurdles, where South Africa scooped two medals in the US — the women’s silver by Tumi Ramokgopa, who also picked up the country’s first-ever 100m hurdles gong, and the men’s bronze by Matodzi Ndou.
Topping the podium boosts Heymans’s prospects statistically.
Five out of 16 junior world gold medallists (excluding 2021 onwards) have succeeded at senior level — a 31.25% conversion rate. For silver medallists it’s 25% (three from 12) and bronze is 10% (one from 10).
Wayde van Niekerk (fourth), Hezekiel Sepeng and Johan Cronje (both fifth) and Hestrie Cloete (sixth) are the only South Africans to finish outside the medals at the age-group competition and still achieve senior silverware.
Enjoying the sunrise
The conversion rate for fourth-placed competitors is 9%, 14.3% for fifth and 6.7% for sixth. Across the board it’s 14.3%.
South Africa has won 44 athletics medals at Olympics and world championships since readmission, 39 of them in individual events — 23 of those delivered by under-20 world top-sixers.
Sunette Viljoen, who didn’t get to a junior world competition, secured three of the remaining 16 senior medals. She’s another Liebenberg thrower.
Heymans, with dreams of becoming a farmer, sometimes drives into the veld before classes to enjoy the sunrise.
His burgeoning javelin career has a similar golden glow.
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