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10 June 2019 | Story Ruan Bruwer | Photo Gerda Steyn Twitter
Gerda Steyn
Gerda Steyn, a former student at the University of the Free State, won her first Comrades race on Sunday, setting a new course record.
Winning the Comrades ultra-marathon is the greatest honour of her life and still feels unreal, said Gerda Steyn a day after winning the race in a record time.
 
The former Kovsie student had an incredible race on Sunday, completing the 86,83 km’s in a time of 05:58:54, which is a new record for women in the up run. It is more than 10 minutes faster than the previous record of 06:09:23 set in 2006.
 
It was also the fourth fastest Comrades time ever by a female in the 94-year history of the race.
 
Greatest honour of my life
 
“Being the Comrades winner is the greatest honour of my life. Thank you to an entire nation for carrying me to the line. It feels like a dream,” Steyn said.
 
The 29-year-old Steyn became the first woman in 30 years to win both the Comrades and Two Oceans in the same year. She also won the Two Oceans in 2018 and came second in the Comrades last year.
 
Steyn, who studied Quantity Surveying and Construction Management at the University of the Free State (UFS) between 2009 and 2012, said the record time was discussed beforehand.
 
I went for it
 
“We felt it was possible, but it wasn’t my main goal right from the start of the race. At the halfway mark, I saw it was possible and I went for it.”
 
According to Steyn, the media attention since her win is quite intense. “But I don’t complain. It is such an honour, so I do it with a smile.”
 
At the Two Oceans ultra-marathon in April, she missed out on the 30-year record time by just 53 seconds.
 
Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor, said Steyn was a proud ambassador of the university. “It is always important for me to see how our former students perform. I would like to congratulate her. Well done. She is carrying the Kovsie name with pride,” Prof Petersen said.
 

News Archive

Institute hosts Artistic Social Justice Week
2012-08-15

The International Institute for Studies in Race, Reconciliation and Social Justice at the university is hosting its first annual week of Artistic Social Justice from 23 to 31 August 2012. The week consists of performing arts activities such as plays, live music, poetry and an art exhibition.

In what is expected to become one of the annual highlights on the Kovsie calendar, students will have an opportunity to express themselves artistically while creating an awareness about social responsibilities.

Activities lined up for the week include the cabaret Vagina Dentata, a musical satire which looks at the unique stories of South African women. The line-up also include a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexed performance piece with participants giving oral narratives of issues affecting the LGBTIQ community.

The exhibition, The F-word: Images of forgiveness, tells the stories of people whose lives have been shattered by violence, tragedy and injustice and who are learning to forgive, reconcile and move on.

Paul Chappell, Research Consultant at the Centre for the Study of Aids at the University of Pretoria, will deliver a guest lecture on sexuality and disability.

For more information, contact Angelo Mockie at MockieSMA@ufs.ac.za

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