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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

Contemporary Modes of Othering at UFS this May
2015-05-18

 

The Centre for Africa Studies at the UFS is hosting an interdisciplinary project on the Bloemfontein Campus from 20-22 May 2015.

The project, entitled Contemporary Modes of Othering: Its Perpetuation and Resistance, will look at different perspectives, representations, and art forms of otherness, how it is perceived, and how it is resisted.

The programme, which will run over three days, is as follows:

Wednesday 20 May at 19:00

Official Opening of Exhibition: ‘Representations of Otherness and Resistance’
Johannes Stegmann Art Gallery, Sasol Library
Opening: Prof Lucius Botes
Speaker: Ms Annali Dempsey, Curator UJ Art Gallery
Exhibition will run from 21 May to 19 June 2015

Thursday 21 May

10:00-11:00
Critical Dialogue: ‘Representations of Otherness and Resistance’
Johannes Stegmann Art Gallery (Facilitator: Prof. Gobodo-Madikizela)

11:30-13:00
Roundtable: ‘Music, Resistance, and the Residue of Race’
Odeion School of Music, Odeion Room 6

14:00-15:00
Seminar: ‘Reading the Past across Generations through the Image of the Hector Pieterson Iconic Photograph: Shaping of a New Consciousness’
Prof Gobodo-Madikizela, FGG 201

16:00-17:00
Seminar: Living Motswako, Centre for Africa Studies
President Steyn Annex Building, Committee Room (ground floor)

18:00-20:00
Africa Day Memorial Lecture ‘Youth Protests and Political Change in Africa’
Prof Alcinda Honwana, CR Swart Auditorium

Friday 22 May

10:00-11:00
Seminar: ‘Collectively Born (Un)free’, Prof. Steyn Kotze, FGG 201

11:00-11:30
Tea/Coffee Break, Scaena Foyer

11:30-12:30
Visual Presentation: ‘Linguistic Tokenism and Branding through Art in SA Advertising’
Prof Van Niekerk & Dr Conradie, Scaena Foyer

12:30-13:30
Performance: ‘Playland’
Scaena Teatre (Facilitator: Mr Willem Ellis)

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