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05 September 2019 | Story Ruan Bruwer
Louzanne and her guide, Estean Badenhorst.
Louzanne Coetzee ran a new national record time in the 1 500 m in Paris. Pictured with her is her guide, Estean Badenhorst.
The blind UFS athlete Louzanne Coetzee has broken yet another national record.

The South African 1 500 m record in the T11 classification (totally blind) will have the same name next to it, but a new time – as the previous record also belonged to Coetzee.

She clocked a personal best time of 4:51:65 at the Paris Para Athletics Grand Prix meeting over the weekend. The previous record was set at the World Para Championships in London in July 2017. Coetzee is also the world record holder in the 5 000 m and the African record holder in the 800 m.

Her time in Paris is good enough to take her to a second Paralympic Games. The qualification standards for the games in Tokyo is 06:20.00.

Estean Badenhorst – as her guide – accompanied her. “I have run with him before but couldn’t make use of his services last year due to his study commitments. It is a great privilege to run with him. Estean is a fantastic strategic guide. I hope we can join forces again in the future,” Coetzee said. 

Emphasis now on 1 500 m 

The 800 m and 5 000 m are not on the Paralympic programme; this shifted her focus to the 1 500 m, in which she will participate at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai in early November.

“This is now my main focus in the run-up to the Paralympics next year,” says Louzanne. 

She has already qualified for the Paralympics in the marathon, but this will play second fiddle to the track, said the 26-year-old, who is doing her master’s in Social Cohesion and Reconciliation Studies this year.

According to Rufus Botha, a respected athletic coach who previously coached Coetzee, her time in Paris was excellent. “This predicts a great World Champs where Louzanne seems ready for her first medal at a World Championship,” he said.

News Archive

“Deploy your education and not connections,” Chancellor tells graduates
2012-05-16

 

Qwaqwa Autumn Graduation
Photo: Thabo Kessah
16 May 2012

Our Qwaqwa Campus conferred 424 degrees, diplomas and certificates at this year’s autumn graduation ceremony held on 12 May 2012.

Amongst the degrees conferred were two doctorates in Polymer Science, two Master’s of Arts in Geography and African Languages, respectively, five Master’s of Science degrees in Physics (3) and Polymer Science (2) and 37 honours degrees in Education, Zoology, Physics, Botany and Polymer Science.

In their congratulatory messages, both the Vice-Rector: Institutional Affairs, Prof. Teuns Verschoor, and the Chancellor, Dr Khotso Mokhele, challenged the graduates to start focusing their attention beyond their graduation on what they both referred to as “the real world”.

“Graduation ceremonies are a fantastic event, but you must never lose sight of appreciating the support given by those around you,” said Dr Mokhele.

“This hall was full of shouting and yes, you must bask in that glory, knowing that you have achieved part of your goals. Yes, this is your moment, so shine. You deserve it. You have earned it.”

“However, this noise also means you must go out there and face the real world. You are graduating in a model country on how people can reconcile, despite their painful and divided past. You deserve all the accolades, but that model country is disappearing before your eyes. How can you mess up what Mandela, Biko, Sobukwe, Nardine Gordimer lived and fought for? How can you mess up such a good thing?” Dr Mokhele asked of an attentive audience that included proud parents and siblings, as well as educators and learners from the Thabo Mofutsanyana District.

“Go out there and deploy your education and not your connections, as these are embedded in corruption. Go out there and help get rid of the patronage system where hard-workers are more likely to be constructively dismissed as they stand in the way of those with corrupt tendencies. Save this country from becoming another Zimbabwe. Let us do whatever it takes to save this country. Let these matriculants who are here today want to walk that red carpet with pride in the next few years,”,said Dr Mokhele.

Dignitaries in attendance included the former Chief Minister of the former Qwaqwa homeland, Dr T K Mopeli; the Executive Mayor of the Dihlabeng Local Municipality, Councillor Tjhetane Mofokeng; Dr SWF Moloi (Thabo Mofutsanyana Education District) and representatives from various government departments.
 

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