Breyton Poole is a top athletics High Jump achiever, on top of his game, and one to keep a keen eye on for the future! He is hard working with a deep sense of community and a heart to give back to those coming after him. He is rooted in his faith in Christ and this gives him strength for the future. SA’s future is safe when one encounters next generation brilliance the likes of Breyton!
He says “I am a dream chaser always looking for new challenges to overcome, somebody who is patient in preparation. I am a hard worker who is determined to show everybody that hard work beats talent . A characteristics I’d liked to see in myself for the future is to be more giving to people/Athletes who are less fortunate so that they can also achieve their dreams”.
Athlete: Bio / Stats |
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| Name & Surname | Breyton Poole |
| Nick Name | Breytie |
| Date of birth | 23 march 2000 |
| Place of birth | Somerset West, Cape Town , Western Cape |
| Current City | Strand |
| Height | 1,72m |
| Weight | 58kg |
| Shoe Size | 9 |
| Club | Helderberg harriers |
| Coach’s Name | Bennie Schlechter |
| Secondary Sport/ sports | Played Paul Roos u/16A rugby last year but decided to hang up my boots to focuse on my athletics. |
| Favorite City | Cape Town , The Mother City!! |
| Favorite Song/ type of music | No favourite type I enjoy all genres but mostly J Cole’s music. |
| Favorite Movie | Ring along 2 |
| School & Grade | Grade 11 learner at Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch |
| Sponsors | None |
| Instagram
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instagram – @breyton100
Facebook – Breyton Poole |
| Parents Names, siblings | Dad – Herman , Mom- Charmaine and brother – Hagan |
INTERVIEW:
Q: You are passionate and doing so well in your High Jump, tell me a little bit about how you started in High Jump and your journey in the High Jump arena up to now?
My athletics journey started in grade 4 when I competed at our primary school interhouse and I discovered my love for high jump. I am a sport fanatic and I achieved my colours for 4 different sports in Primary School. In my Last year in Primary School I went to the SA Primary School Championship in 2013 and I obtained a 5th place – I wasn’t to happy with my result . I used this result as a motivation. I was always very short and I was afraid that high jump wasn’t my sport as I was not growing as tall as the other high jumpers . As the following year was High School and I knew that If I wanted to come anywhere in athletics I had to make sure I work harder than anybody else. I was determine to prove to everybody that hard work beats talent. From 2013 to 2014 I Improved by 25cm on my previous PB. From 5th in 2013 , I am now currently ranked 1st for the Boys u/17 high jump in 2016 while still 16 years old. My journey up to now has certainly been a crazy one, it’s been a wonderful experience but I can’t wait for what more is in store for me in 2017!
Q: What is the highest accolade that you have achieved in High Jump and what is your greatest personal accomplishment?
My heightest accolade at this moment is last year competing u/17 against guys one year older than me and still winning the competion at the South African Youth and junior Championship 2016. My personal accomplishment thus far is that I managed to A-Qualifying Standard for the World Youth Championship in Kenya 2017 , so hopefully big things to come for me soon. My Personal Best at this moment is 2,14m .
Q: Would you like to share a little bit more about your faith journey and how it has affected your life / sports?
I’ve been blessed with no serious injuries and fortunately a healthy body up to now and I can only give all the Honour and Glory to God for bringing me this far.
Q: What do you do to relax?
I love spending quality time braaing with my family and friends and of course I enjoy my rugby & soccer.
Q: In your opinion, what is the value of Education in a young person’s life?
In my opinion education is as important as breathing , it is the building blocks and foundation for how your life will play out one day .
What you do in high school will determine your future , nothing worth having comes easy remember that!
Q: So, you are a brilliant athlete and academic– but name 1 thing that you suck at 🙂
I’ve been told that my singing is not up to standard, so I definitely need to work on my Karaoke skills!
Q: What is your personal favourite motivational quote?
“Life is not about how hard you get hit , its about how hard you can get hit and still keep moving forward ” – Rocky Balboa
Q: What is your favourite Bible / Scripture quote?
Philippians 4:13 – ” I can do all things through christ that strengthens me”.
Q: In your opinion, how do you define success in life / how do you define a successful person?
In my opinion being successful means completing all your long term visons and goals you set for yourself . Goals are not always accomplished on-time due to injuries and setbacks but to me you are a successful person as long as you accomplish what you planned and set out to do despite the setbacks, never give up!
Q: What’s your WHY ?
I believe that you should do what you love , love what you do and high jump is my passion and what I love! My example I would like to set to other young up-and-coming athletes is that they should not be intimidated by the better athlete and instead focus on how and what they are going to do to become the best at what they do!
Prestige Athletics 2016 Paul Roos High Jump at Coetzenburg
Q: Anything else you would like to share?
My ultimate Goal is to become a professional athlete and hopefully one day established my own foundation for the less fortunate aswell as up-and-coming young athletes so that I can mentor and give them the opportunity aswell to achieve their dreams.
Q: How do you see your own/personal road map to 2020?
In order for me to become ” Olympic Material” in my opinion I would first have to grow spiritually and mentally (To cope with the pressure of course) and to obviously gain some valuable much needed experience. The long term goal is definitely Tokyo 2020! I still have three more years to improve and progress, anything is possible, so we can only hope for the best!
Thank you so much for taking this interview. We would like to wish you all the best for your journey ahead. We look forward to following you as you go from strength to strength. Blessings!
