South African Paralympic legend Ernst van Dyk has made his country so proud over the decades, and now he is being honoured in the New York Road Runners Hall of Fame!
Global (27 October 2023) — South African Paralympic legend Ernst van Dyk has been named as one of the new inductees to the New York Road Runners Hall of Fame (NYRR); a nod to van Dyk’s incredible sporting career that has inspired athletes and supporters alike around the globe.
As a two-time New York City Marathon Champion, eight-time Paralympic medalist, the winner of several UCI world championship titles and Boston Marathon wins, Ernst van Dyk knows a thing or two about tearing up a road.
However, becoming one of the world’s most iconic wheelchair marathon racers didn’t happen by chance. Van Dyk’s determination to excel and reframe realms of possibility has been his real driving force for decades—a spirit of tenacity that echoes the essence of both South Africa and sportsmanship.
Born with the ‘congenital absence of both legs’ to athletic parents, van Dyk’s talent in sports was easily spotted from his youth.
He has since gone on to wave the South African flag around the world at every Paralympics since 1992 as the NYRR recalls, reminding people from all walks, sittings and runs of life that pursuing dreams does not always have prerequisites of ability.
Of his recent induction into the NYRR Hall of Fame, he joins Deena Kastor; a marathon record-holder and three-time Olympian.
Kastor expressed that it was an honour to be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside van Dyk who she has long looked up to and admired.
Speaking of the induction, van Dyk shared:
“This came as a total surprise and I’m profoundly honoured and deeply humbled.
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“This induction isn’t about me, it’s about the spirit of perseverance and the belief that every obsacle is an opportunity to redefine what’s possible. I accept this honour with immense gratitude, knowing that it is not an end, but a reminder to keep pushing boundaries and inspiring others to roll forward in the pursuit of their dreams.”
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