Commonwealth Games medallist and one of South Africa’s all-time great cyclists Willie Engelbrecht has died, he was 62.
Engelbrecht, who hails from Durbanville, became the first South African to win a medal a Commonwealth Games medal following re-admission, when he secured a bronze at the 1994 Games in Victoria, Canada.
Despite finishing fourth in the men’s road race, Engelbrecht was promoted to the podium, scooping up bronze and becoming the first SA cyclist to win a Commonwealth Games medal post-apartheid.
Dominating South African cycling in the late 80s and 90s, Engelbrecht rode professionally for teams such as Southern Sun/M-Net and Peaceforce Security between 1987 and 1995.
At his peak, Engelbrecht won the Cape Town Cycle Tour race five times in seven years between 1988 and 1994, and also won the Rapport Tour, then considered Africa’s “Tour de France” in 1990.
Engelbrecht had been recovering from a serious cycling accident a year ago, writing in a Facebook post earlier this month: “When I broke my back at the end of last year I never thought it would have such an impact on my life.
“I haven’t been on a bike since the accident and have to deal with continuous pain that hopefully will get better in time. I am looking forward to getting back into the cycling fraternity.”
