Christiaan ("Chris") Harmse (born 31 May 1973) is a South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

n hammer throw

Hammer throw

The modern or Olympic hammer throw is an athletic throwing event where the object is to throw a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and handle. The name "hammer throw" is derived from older competitions where an actual sledge hammer was thrown...

er. He has broken the African record seven times, and holds the championship record for both the African Championships

African Championships in Athletics

The African Championships in Athletics is a continental athletics event organized by the Confederation of African Athletics. It is generally organised biennually, every other event is held same year as the Summer Olympics....

 and All-Africa Games

All-Africa Games

The All-Africa Games, sometimes called the African Games or the Pan African Games, are a regional multi-sport event held every four years, organized by the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa...

.

He has been a dominant presence in African hammer throwing since his first African Championships in Athletics

African Championships in Athletics

The African Championships in Athletics is a continental athletics event organized by the Confederation of African Athletics. It is generally organised biennually, every other event is held same year as the Summer Olympics....

 in 1998

1998 African Championships in Athletics

The 11th African Championships in Athletics were held in Dakar, Senegal, from August 18 to August 22 in the Stade Leopold Senghor.-Track:-Field:-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics...

 where he took gold with a championship record throw. He then went on to claim four consecutive African titles between 2002–2008, improving his own record along the way. His performances at the All-Africa Games

All-Africa Games

The All-Africa Games, sometimes called the African Games or the Pan African Games, are a regional multi-sport event held every four years, organized by the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa...

 have been equally dominant – he won his first title at the 1999 Games

Athletics at the 1999 All-Africa Games

The seventh All-Africa Games were held in September 1999 in Johannesburg, South Africa. As the track is at an altitude of 1748 metres all performances are considered to be set at altitude, this is believed to assist events up to 400 metres and in the long jump and triple jump...

 with a Games record and won twice more consecutively in 2003

Athletics at the 2003 All-Africa Games

-Track:-Field:-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:*...

 and 2007

Athletics at the 2007 All-Africa Games

The athletics competition at the 2007 All-Africa Games was held on the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers, Algeria between 18 July and 22 July 2007. Nigeria was the most successful nation of the competition having won nine golds and 24 medals in total. South Africa was a close second with seven golds...

, improving his record both times.

Although he won bronze medals at the 1998

Athletics at the 1998 Commonwealth Games

At the 1998 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from the 16–21 September 1998.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:Key:-References:**...

 and 2006 Commonwealth Games

Athletics at the 2006 Commonwealth Games

At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held in Melbourne, Australia from 19 March to 25 March 2006. A total of 47 events were contested, of which 24 by male and 23 by female athletes. Furthermore, three men's and three women's disability events were held within the programme...

, he has had considerably less success on the world stage – despite four appearances at the World Championships in Athletics in his career, he has never qualified for the final of the event. Furthermore, he has never represented South Africa at the Olympics

South Africa at the Olympics

South Africa first participated at the Olympic Games in 1904, and sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games until 1960. After the passage of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1761 in 1962 in response to South Africa's policy of apartheid, the nation was barred from the Games....

.

Harmse gained his fifteenth consecutive national hammer throw title at the South Africa Senior Track and Field Championships – a record unmatched by any athlete at the country's national championships.

His personal best throw is 80.63 metres, achieved in April 2005 in Durban

Durban

Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...

. This is the current African record

African records in athletics

African records in athletics are the best marks set in a track and field and road running events by an athlete who competes for a member nation of the Confederation of African Athletics . The organisation is responsible for ratification and it analyses each record before approving it...

.

Achievements

Representing
1998	Commonwealth Games 1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 11 September to 21 September 1998 making it the first Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for the 20th century. A record 70 nations supplied 3638 athletes...	Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million... , Malaysia	3rd
	African Championships 1998 African Championships in Athletics The 11th African Championships in Athletics were held in Dakar, Senegal, from August 18 to August 22 in the Stade Leopold Senghor.-Track:-Field:-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics...	Dakar Dakar Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland... , Senegal Senegal Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...	1st	72.11m CR
	World Cup	Johannesburg Johannesburg Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...	7th
1999	All-Africa Games 1999 All-Africa Games The 7th All-Africa Games were held from September 10, 1999 to September 19, 1999 in Greater Johannesburg, South Africa. 53 countries participated in eighteen sports. Netball was included as a demonstration sport....	Johannesburg Johannesburg Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...	1st	74.75 m CR
	World Championships 1999 World Championships in Athletics The 7th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Estadio Olímpico, Seville, Spain, between the August 20 and August 29....	Seville, Spain	30th	71.57 m
2001	Universiade 2001 Summer Universiade The 2001 Summer Universiade, also known as the XXI Summer Universiade, was an international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, People's Republic of China, between the 22 August and 1 September. A total of 6757 athletes from 165 nations took part in 12 sports...	Beijing Beijing Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's... , China	5th
2002	African Championships 2002 African Championships in Athletics The 13th African Championships in Athletics were held in Tunis and Radès, Tunisia in August, 2002.- Men's Results :-Field:-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics...	Radès Radès Radès is a harbour city in Ben Arous Governorate, Tunisia. Situated 9 kilometres south-east of the capital Tunis, some consider it a Tunis suburb, and parts of the harbour installations of Tunis are located in Radès.... , Tunisia Tunisia Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...	1st	76.07m CR
	World Cup 2002 IAAF World Cup The 9th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event sponsored by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was hosted by Madrid, September 21–22, 2002, in the Estadio La Peineta...	Madrid, Spain	4th
2003	All-Africa Games Athletics at the 2003 All-Africa Games -Track:-Field:-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:*...	Abuja Abuja Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos... , Nigeria Nigeria Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...	1st	75.17m CR
	Afro Asian Games Athletics at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games The athletics events at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games were held from October 28 to October 30, 2003 at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium. A total of 42 events were contested at the inaugural edition of the Games.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:Key:...	Hyderabad, India	1st
2004	African Championships 2004 African Championships in Athletics The 14th African Championships in Athletics were held in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo in July, 2004. Since African Championships is a biennial event, this edition was contested only a month before 2004 Summer Olympics. Thus some top athletes shunned the event...	Brazzaville Brazzaville -Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo... , Congo	1st
2005	World Championships 2005 World Championships in Athletics The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...	Helsinki, Finland	15th	74.37 m
2006	Commonwealth Games Athletics at the 2006 Commonwealth Games At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held in Melbourne, Australia from 19 March to 25 March 2006. A total of 47 events were contested, of which 24 by male and 23 by female athletes. Furthermore, three men's and three women's disability events were held within the programme...	Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...	3rd	73.81 m Athletics at the 2006 Commonwealth Games – Men's hammer throw The men's hammer throw event at the 2006 Commonwealth Games was held on March 24.-Results:-References:*...
	African Championships 2006 African Championships in Athletics The 15th African Championships in Athletics were held in Mauritius between August 9 and August 13, 2006. The event was staged at Stade Germain Comarmond in Bambous, Black River district...	Bambous, Mauritius Mauritius Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...	1st	77.55 m CR
	World Cup 2006 IAAF World Cup The 10th IAAF World Cup in Athletics was an international track and field sporting event, held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, which took place on 16 and 17 September 2006 at the Olympic Stadium in Athens, Greece....	Athens, Greece	7th	73.94 m
2007	All-Africa Games Athletics at the 2007 All-Africa Games The athletics competition at the 2007 All-Africa Games was held on the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers, Algeria between 18 July and 22 July 2007. Nigeria was the most successful nation of the competition having won nine golds and 24 medals in total. South Africa was a close second with seven golds...	Algiers Algiers ' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000... , Algeria Algeria Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...	1st	76.73 m CR
	World Championships 2007 World Championships in Athletics The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...	Osaka, Japan	24th	71.07 m
2008	African Championships 2008 African Championships in Athletics The 16th African Championships in Athletics was held in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, from April 30 to May 4, 2008. The competition venue was the Addis Ababa Stadium. It is the largest Athletics event held in Ethiopia to date...	Addis Ababa, Ethiopia	1st	77.72 m (CR)
2009	World Championships 2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....	Berlin, Germany	—	NM 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's hammer throw The Men's Hammer Throw event at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on August 15 and August 17. With reigning champion Ivan Tsikhan banned from competition for doping offences, the 2008 Olympic gold and silver medallists Primož Kozmus and Krisztián Pars were...
2010	Commonwealth Games Athletics at the 2010 Commonwealth Games The athletics competition at the 2010 Commonwealth Games was held in New Delhi, India between 6 and 14 October. The track and field events took place between 6–12 October at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium while the marathon contests were held on a street course running through the city on 14...	New Delhi New Delhi New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is... , India India India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...	1st	73.15 m Athletics at the 2010 Commonwealth Games – Men's hammer throw The Men's hammer throw at the 2010 Commonwealth Games as part of the athletics programme was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Friday 8 October 2010.-Records:-Results:-External links:*...
2011	All-Africa Games Athletics at the 2011 All-Africa Games The athletics competition at the 2011 All-Africa Games was held from 11–15 September 2011 at the Estádio do Zimpeto in Maputo, Mozambique.-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:-Elite competition:-Para-sport competition:-Games statistics:...	Maputo Maputo Maputo, also known as Lourenço Marques, is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. It is known as the City of Acacias in reference to acacia trees commonly found along its avenues and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. It was famous for the inscription "This is Portugal" on the walkway of its... , Mozambique Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...	2nd	74.66 m Athletics at the 2011 All-Africa Games – Men's hammer throw The men's hammer throw event at the Athletics at the 2011 All-Africa Games was held on 14 September.-Results:-References:**...