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04 April 2018 Photo SASCOC
Large Kovsie contingent at Commonwealth Games
Elmé de Villiers (badminton) is one of several former or current Kovsies who will be in action at the Commonwealth Games between 5 and 15 April.

The University of the Free State (UFS) will be well represented at the Commonwealth Games with 11 current or former Kovsies participating in Australia.

The Games take place from 5 to 15 April on the Gold Coast. For many of the sporting codes, this is the second biggest sporting stage after the Olympic Games.

The eight athletes are Ts’epang Sello, Juanelie Meijer and Karla Pretorius (current students) and former Kovsies Juanré Jenkinson, Elmé de Villiers, Nicole Walraven, Maryka Holtzhausen and Philip Snyman. 

In addition, three members of the management team, Neil Powell, Kate Roberts and Jan Wahl, all previously studied at the UFS. 

Holtzhausen and Powell at their third Games 
Sello will be competing in the 800m in the colours of Lesotho, her country of birth. 

Pretorius is the vice-captain of the netball team and Holtzhausen was the former captain before her serious injury in 2016. Pretorius is doing a postgraduate in Dietetics and Holtzhausen is a contract worker at Kovsiesport. She will be competing at her third Games. 
De Villiers is a member of the South African badminton team and Walraven is with the Protea hockey team. Snyman will captain the rugby team.

Meijer (long jump) and Jenkinson (shot put) will battle in the para-athletic programme.

Powell will coach the Blitzbokke who are the defending champions from 2014. It will be his second Games in charge. He also won the bronze medal as a player in 2010. 

Roberts is the manager of the triathlon team and a participant in 2006. Wahl will act as the manager of the para-athletics team.

News Archive

Student Hanje Pistorius walks before Christmas
2009-12-15

Mr Frans Kleinhans and Hanje Pistorius during a fitting session of her new bionic leg.
Photograph: Leonie Bolleurs

A medical student at the University of the Free State (UFS), Hanje Pistorius, who lost her leg in a motor accident while collecting money for the Rag earlier this year, will walk before Christmas. This time with the help of her new bionic leg. People countrywide opened their hearts and made contributions to help cover the cost of a prosthesis for Hanje.

Hanje decided on a product from the prosthesis component manufacturer, Ossur. The impressive mobility of a patient model user of the Rheo Knee convinced Hanje that this is the prosthesis that she would like to use.

The company Ossur decided to donate a part of the prosthesis component to her. Mr Frans Kleinhans from FA Kleinhans Orthopaedic Services also made a big contribution by offering to deliver the clinical services to manufacture the prosthesis and to fit it to Hanje. He will also manage the long-term rehabilitation.

Although Hanje is still unfamiliar with the leg, Mr Kleinhans said that she is already making good progress with the leg.
 

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