'I don't have nay regrets' - Olympic shot put thrower Jason van Rooyen calls time on his career amid lack of funding

Olympian and shot-put star Jason van Rooyen will mostly miss the atmosphere. The noise from cheering fans gave him goosebumps every time he walked into a packed stadium to compete. "I'm going to miss the arena, screeching noise of fans cheering and just the people willing athletes on. I will miss it dearly," he said.

Van Rooyen announced his retirement from the sport at the age of 28, citing a struggle to balance full-time employment with elite athletics and the financial constraints that result from a lack of sponsorship. "I have to coach my athletes to get money to pay for my own coaching. It gets to a point of insanity. The Olympics don't matter in the real word. It's also a business decision. I can't continue investing almost R5000 a month if I lose money every single month," he told #TheTopRunner. 

van Rooyen in action at #Tokyo2021. Photo Ceedit: SASCOC Media.

"I'm at peace. I don't have heartache or regrets because I've realised that I've accomplished enough. Coming from my background, not a lot of people can say they worked a full-time job and competed at the highest level in their 20's. Most people train and somehow get funding. I tried to get funding but I was never successful."

Van Rooyen represented SA at the Tokyo Olympics, finishing 19th overall after tossing 20.29m. He will be remembered for his lifetime best of 21.14m he threw at a Athletics Central North West (ACNW) track and field meet at MacArthur Stadium in 2021, which qualified him for the delayed #Tokyo2020. That heave placed him third on the all-time SA list and along with Kyle Blignaut, who went beyond the 21m mark three times in 2021. Blignaut and van Rooyen made history that year as they became the first pair of SA shot putters to go past 21m in the same year. 

van Rooyen with Ewald Taljaard whom he coached to the ASA Sub-Youth U13 shot put title. Photo Credit: Lebohang Pita.

"Going to the Olympics was the most defining moment because I was working full-time as a school teacher while training six hours a day, running 18 hour days at times, resting for six hours and still going toe to toe with the best in the world," he explains.

He would like to be remembered for his passion for the sport, especially after “crying like a baby on live TV” on the night he qualified for the Olympics. Although he has hung up his throwing shoes, he will continue being involved in the sport as a coach. One of his athletes, Ewald Taljaard won the national sub-youth U13 boys' shot-put tittle at Mangaung Stadium in December. "I want to nurture the next crop of shot-putters."