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Okkert Brits
- Born
- Aug 22, 1973 (53 years old)
- Birthplace
- Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Events
- Pole Vault
- Height
- 1.98 m
- Weight
- 96 kg
Okkert Brits (born 22 August 1973, in Uitenhage) is a former South African track and field athlete who specialised in the pole vault. He was the silver medallist at the World Championships in Athletics in 2003. He was a four-time champion at the African Championships in Athletics and twice champion at the All-Africa Games. He was a gold medallist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and took bronze at the 1995 IAAF World Indoor Championships.
His personal best of 6.03 m, set in 1995, is the African record. This made him the first African in the 6 metres club of vaulters. He competed in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games finishing seventh in 2000. He ranked number one in the world for the 1995 season.
He has been married to Jane Gillespie since 2003; they are the parents of Sarah Jane Brits (born in 2005) and David Okkert Brits (born in 2006). In 2009, Brits took part in the 3rd season of Survivor: South Africa, placing eighth. In January 2003, Brits tested positive for a banned substance ephedrine, which he claimed must have been in the energy supplement he took. For its being his first offence and ephedrine only being a stimulant, he was only given a public warning.
As of Oct 27, 2026: Pole Vault 6.03 (#11 all-time), 2009 season best 5.10 (Mar 13, 2009, Stellenbosch (RSA)) · Last competition: South African Championships, Mar 13, 2009, 5.10 · World Championships: 1 silver · Area record (Pole Vault) · 53 years old
Personal bests
WA points calculator →Medals
| Competitions | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Championships | – | 1 | – | 1 |
Progression
| Season | Discipline | Result | Wind | Date | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | PV | 5.10 | – | Mar 13, 2009 | South African Championships |
| 2007 | PV | 5.40 | – | Jul 29, 2007 | Norderney (GER) |
| 2006 | PV | 5.82 | – | Jul 26, 2006 | Karlsruhe (GER) |
| 2005 | PV | 5.65 | – | Dec 10, 2005 | Bellville (RSA) |
| 2004 | PV | 5.75 | – | Feb 27, 2004 | – |
| 2004 | PV Indoor | 5.75 | – | Feb 27, 2004 | Chemnitz (GER) (i) |
| 2003 | PV | 5.86 | – | Sep 13, 2003 | Monaco IAAF World Athletics Final, Stade Louis II, Monaco |
| 2002 | PV | 5.81 | – | Jun 22, 2002 | Hof (GER) |