He made a promise to bring home the gold at his next competition and he did just that.
This weekend, in a display of extraordinary strength and determination, Haroun Pietersen, the Mitchells Plain powerlifting sensation, won gold at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships.
With each lift, Haroun says he remembered his vow to his family, community and country.
The competition held at Sun City over the weekend saw participants from all over the world, including England, Sri Lanka, Jamaica and New Zealand show off their mossels.
Haroun, who represented South Africa, says the competition was extremely tight, but he managed to beat his opponents by lifting a whopping combined 800kg.
He explains: “I actually placed second in the Squat and Bench Press categories.
“And even though I felt disappointed, I knew I still had a chance to take the number one spot because by then the leader was only 2.5kg ahead of me.”
Haroun says he put all his krag into the Deadlift category.
The 36-year-old adds: “I managed to push 285kg, which was the best lifter position for the day and also put me in the lead.
“When I looked up, I saw the guy who was leading was now 32.5kg behind me.”
Haroun says when his name was called to take the number one spot on the podium, he was flooded with emotion.
He says: “I wanted to scream ‘hoya’, that’s how happy I was.
“It was also a reminder that sometimes you won’t get victory immediately, but when you remain consistent and determined you can get the overall result you want.”
He thanked his wife Sakeena, coach Rodney Antony and the local businesses who supported him on his journey, saying: “Especially my wife, for being my video person, making sure I have love and support, and my snacks.”
A proud Sakeena says: “His journey over the past two years has been nothing short of spectacular.
“His life’s journey continues to prove to me that nothing is impossible as long as you work towards your goals consistently.”
Haroun, who is now ranked at number 10 in the world, is already training for the Africa Championships Games in two weeks’ time.
He adds: “After that I will be taking a break, because unfortunately the finances to go to the Equips World and World IFP Classic in Germany is not there.”