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18 April 2018 Photo Facebook
Bright future for Two Oceans winner and former Kovsie Gerda Steyn
Gerda Steyn, former Kovsie student and winner of the Two Oceans ultramarathon this year, with her trophy.

Gerda Steyn, female winner of this year’s Two Oceans ultramarathon, says her life has changed for the better in a very short time.

The former Kovsie received an invitation to a world-renowned marathon at the end of the year. She may not reveal the details yet.

Steyn, who studied Quantity Surveying and Construction Management at the University of the Free State (UFS) between 2009 and 2012, was just the third South African to win the Two Oceans since 1994. Her time of 3:39:31 was the second-best in the past seven years. For many she was a surprise winner because she didn’t compete last year and only managed a 14th place in 2016. 

“Things really took off since the race (in Cape Town at the end of March). I received a lot of exposure. People say you must try and win the race, but they don’t tell you what will happen after that with all the media attention.

“My next goal is the Comrades for which I started training in the third week of April. I will only decide on my specific goals for the race two weeks beforehand.” She obtained a fourth place last year.

According to Steyn, who is a full-time athlete, she only did a couple of cross country races while she was studying. 

“I played a bit of soccer and hockey for my hostel (Soetdoring). I have very fond memories from my university days. A couple of our hostel friends had a reunion after the race in Cape Town and had reason to have a big party.”

News Archive

Expert in Hebrew visits the UFS
2009-02-26

 
Dr Jason Kalman, an expert in Classical Hebrew and Jewish Intellectual History, recently visited the Department of Afroasiatic Studies, Sign Language and Language Practice at the University of the Free State (UFS) to present a number of lectures. Dr Kalman is assistant professor of Classical Hebrew at the Hebrew Union College (HUC) in Cincinnati, United States of America. He and Prof. Jackie du Toit, professor at the department, have just completed a manuscript for McGill-Queen’s Press (Montreal, Kanada) about McGill University’s purchase in the 1950’s of cave 4 fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Dr Kalman is a research fellow in the department. Here is Prof. Annelie Lotriet, head of the Department of Afroasiatic Studies, Sign Language and Language Practice at the UFS and Dr Kalman.
Photo: Lacea Loader

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