Nicolas Pieter du Preez (born 1979 or 1980) is a South African athlete in

paratriathlon Para triathlon is a variant of the triathlon for athletes with a physical disability. The sport is governed by World Triathlon (TRI; formerly known as the International Triathlon Union or ITU), and was first held as a Paralympic event at the 2016 S ...

. In 2013, he was the first person with

tetraplegia Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weakness or paralysis leading to partial ...

to ever complete an

Ironman Triathlon An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a swim, a bicycle ride and a marathon run completed in that order, a total of . It is widely consid ...

. Du Preez started competing at the

Berlin Marathon The Berlin Marathon (, ) is a marathon event held annually on the streets of Berlin, Germany on the last weekend of September. Held annually since 1974, the event includes multiple races over the marathon distance of , including elite level road r ...

in 2008 and was a seven-time winner at the event during the 2010s. In international events, du Preez competed at the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Sum ...

in the 100m event and won gold at the

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the Inte ...

in the

time trial In many racing sports, an sportsperson, athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial (TT) against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athle ...

as a H1 competitor. At the

UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships The UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships are the world championships for road cycling where athletes with a physical disability compete, organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The Championships were earlier administered by the ...

, he has won five golds as part of his thirteen accumulated medals from 2014 to 2022. Outside of his athletic career, du Preez works in

risk assessment Risk assessment is a process for identifying hazards, potential (future) events which may negatively impact on individuals, assets, and/or the environment because of those hazards, their likelihood and consequences, and actions which can mitigate ...

as an analyst.

Early life and education

Du Preez was born in 1979 or 1980 and spent his childhood in

Randburg Randburg is an area located in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Formerly a separate municipality, its administration devolved to the newly created City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, along with neighbouring Sandton and Roodepoort ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

at the

University of Johannesburg The University of Johannesburg, colloquially known as UJ, is a public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant fundi ...

and completed an

honours degree Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, ...

specializing in

investment management Investment management (sometimes referred to more generally as financial asset management) is the professional asset management of various Security (finance), securities, including shareholdings, Bond (finance), bonds, and other assets, such as r ...

Career

Athletics

During his childhood, du Preez competed in running, cycling and triathlon. In 2003, he was paralyzed from the chest down after a traffic accident. Du Preez returned to sports in 2005 by competing in

wheelchair rugby Wheelchair rugby (originally murderball, and known as quad rugby in the United States) is a team sport for Disabled sport, athletes with a disability. It is practiced in over twenty-five countries around the world and is a summer Paralympic spor ...

. He resumed his running career when he ran at the 2008

. As a T51 competitor, Du Preez won seven consecutive titles during the 2010s at Berlin. In other athletic events, du Preez won a silver in the 200m and a bronze in the 100m at the

2011 IPC Athletics World Championships The 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships was held in Christchurch, New Zealand from January 21 to 30, 2011. Athletes with disabilities competed, and the Championships were a qualifying event for the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Over 1,000 ath ...

. The following year, du Preez came in 6th place during the Men's 100 metres T51 event at the

. After his Paralympic performance, du Preez broke the 10,000 m world record for

wheelchair racing Wheelchair racing is the racing of wheelchairs in track and field, track and road races. Wheelchair racing is open to athletes with any qualifying type of disability, including leg amputees, spinal cord injuries, and cerebral palsy. Athletes are c ...

in 2015. That same year, he also set new African athletic records in 200 m, 1500 m, and 10,000 m. During his triathlon career, du Preez was the first person with

to ever complete an

in 2013. In 2018, he participated at the

Ironman 70.3 An Ironman 70.3, also known as a Half Ironman, is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). The "70.3" refers to the total distance in miles (113.0 km) covered in the race, consisting ...

World Championships. At the

2023 World Para Athletics Championships The 2023 World Para Athletics Championships was a Paralympic track and field meet organized by the World Para Athletics subcommittee of the International Paralympic Committee. It was the 10th edition of the event and was held in the Charlety St ...

as a T51 competitor, du Preez was seventh in the 200m and eighth in the 100m.

Cycling

In cycling, du Preez won multiple gold and silver medals at the

. His first medals were in 2014 where he was second in time trial and won the road race event. The following year, du Preez won both the time trial and road race events at the

2015 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships The 2015 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships were sixth edition of the World Championships for road cycling for athletes with a physical disability. The Championships took place on the roads of Nottwil in Switzerland from 29 July to 2 Augus ...

. During the

2017 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships The 2017 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships was the seventh edition of the World Championships for road cycling for athletes with a physical disability. The Championships took place on the roads of Pietermaritzburg in South Africa from 31 ...

, du Preez won gold in time trial and silver in road race. In 2018, he won a silver medal in the road race and time trial events. For the 2019 edition, du Preez won a bronze in time trial and was sixth in road race. For the

2021 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships The 2021 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships was tenth edition of the World Championships for road cycling for athletes with a physical disability. The Championships took place in Cascais in Portugal from 9 to 13 June 2021. Medalists Meda ...

, du Preez won gold in the road race and silver in the time trial events. At the

held in 2021, du Preez won gold at the

for H1 competitors. At the Paralympics, du Preez was also eighth at the road race for H1-2 cyclists. During the

2022 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships The 2022 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships was the 11th edition of the World Championships for road cycling for athletes with a physical disability. The championships took place in Baie-Comeau in Canada from 11 to 14 August 2022. Medalis ...

, du Preez won silver in the time tiral and bronze in the road race for H1 competitors. Outside of sports, du Preez is a

analyst.

Awards and honors

In 2016, du Preez was nominated for the

Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability The Laureus World Sports Award for Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability is an annual award honouring the achievements of individual disabled athletes from the world of Paralympic sports. It was first awarded in 2000 as one of the seven cons ...

Personal life

Prior to competing at the Summer Paralympics in 2021, du Preez broke his

coracoid process The coracoid process (from Greek κόραξ, raven) is a small hook-like structure on the lateral edge of the superior anterior portion of the scapula (hence: coracoid, or "like a raven's beak"). Pointing laterally forward, it, together with the ...

and

acromioclavicular joint The acromioclavicular joint, or AC joint, is a joint at the top of the shoulder. It is the junction between the acromion (part of the scapula that forms the highest point of the shoulder) and the clavicle. It is a Plane joint, plane synovial joint ...

from a fall. Du Preez is married and has one child.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Du Preez, Pieter Paratriathletes Berlin Marathon male winners Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics South African combined track and field events competitors Living people Year of birth uncertain Cyclists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Cyclists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in cycling Paralympic gold medalists for South Africa Paralympic bronze medalists for South Africa People from Randburg