L. J. van Zyl

L. J. van Zyl

Van Zyl during the 2011 World Athletics Championships
Personal information
Born	(1985-07-20) 20 July 1985 (age 31) Bloemfontein, South Africa
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in)
Weight	79 kg (174 lb)
Sport
Country	South Africa
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	400 metre hurdles 4 × 400m Relay
Medal record Men's Athletics Representing  South Africa World Championships 2011 Daegu 4x400m relay 2011 Daegu 400m hurdles Commonwealth Games 2006 Melbourne 400m hurdles 2006 Melbourne 4x400m relay 2010 Delhi 400m hurdles All-Africa Games 2007 Algiers 400m hurdles African Championships 2006 Bambous 400m hurdles 2008 Addis Ababa 400m hurdles 2008 Addis Ababa 4x400m relay 2010 Nairobi 400m hurdles 2016 Durban 4x400 m relay

Louis Jacobus van Zyl (born 20 July 1985), better known as L. J. van Zyl, is a South African athlete competing in the 400 metre hurdles. He is the South African record holder in the event with a personal best of 47.66 seconds. He is a three-time African Champion in the event and competed for his country at the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Olympics.

He was the 2002 World Junior Champion over 400 m hurdles and reached the World Championships final at the age of twenty in 2005. His breakthrough into the senior ranks came in 2006 when he won gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and African Championships, as well as silver medals at the IAAF World Cup and IAAF World Athletics Final. He became the All-Africa Games champion in 2007. He came fifth in the 2008 Olympic final.

He married South African long-distance runner Irvette van Blerk in 2012.

Born in Bloemfontein, his first international medal came at the 2001 World Youth Championships in Athletics, where he took the bronze with South Africa in the Swedish medley relay. He won the gold medal in his speciality at the 2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics, but did not medal in his attempt to defend the title at the 2004 competition. His international breakthrough came at the World Athletics Final in 2005, when he finished third.