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Louzanne Coetzee ready to take shot at Paralympics title

27 August 2021 | Story Ruan Bruwer

Coetzee copy — Louzanne Coetzee at the Paralympics in Tokyo with her two guides, Claus Kempen (left) and Estean Badenhorst. She is one of 34 members in Team South Africa.

For some athletes, the postponement of the Paralympics was a big frustration, but for Louzanne Coetzee it was a ‘blessing in disguise’.

According to the former University of the Free State (UFS) student and current Residence Head of Akasia on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus, she was more than happy to get another 12 months to prepare herself to the very best of her ability. She will be in action at the Tokyo Paralympics in the 1 500 m on Sunday (29 August 2021) and Monday (30 August). On 5 September, she will tackle the marathon. It is her second Paralympics.

“This is the most exited I have ever been for an event. It has been so long since I was able to compete on a high level. I think it is a blessing in disguise. It allowed me more time to prepare. I’m in a great state and I cannot wait,” she said.

In the 1 500 m, Coetzee will be guided by Estean Badenhorst. In the marathon she will run next to Claus Kempen, with whom she has completed a couple of marathons before.

“They are both very experienced and I’m fortunate to have such a great team with me. When you are running an event like the 1 500 m, you need to fully trust your guide with his decision making.”

“The main focus is the track item. I won’t put too much pressure on myself in the marathon. The prime goal is to gain experience in the longer distance, because that is where I’ll be shifting in the future,” she explained.

The South African 1 500 m record holder in the T11 classification (totally blind) clocked a personal best time of 4:51.65 in 2019. She is the world record holder in the 5 000 m; however, the item does not feature on the Paralympic programme.

News Archive

Science 4Fun, collaboration between CUT and UFS community engagement

2017-08-16

For Grade R learners at Nzame Primary, their
basic Geometry insight about shapes advanced
to engineering skills when they built modern pyramids,
connecting jelly sweets and sosatie sticks.
Photo: Supplied

Any phase in a learner’s life can be the right time to explore science. As for Grade R learners at Nzame Primary School in Mangaung, it all started when their Deputy Principal, Charles Busack, attended the Global University for Lifelong Learning (GULL) workshop coordinated by the university’s Community Engagement in October 2016. The GULL network enables its affiliated organisations to recognise the individual and collective efforts of those who are creating progressive transformation in communities and in the workplace. Consequently, a community-based initiative, Science4Fun, was developed and launched at the primary school, where learners would start to experiment with science through play.

University students instrumental in teaching
Every Tuesday morning, these fun science activities form part of the foundation phase programme, in which Dr Elizabeth Conradie of the Central University of Technology (CUT) and four postgraduate Science students from the UFS, engage teachers and learners in exciting experiments and demonstrations.

Most people just know pyramids as big, impressive structures built a long time ago in Ancient Egypt. However, for Grade R learners at Nzame Primary, their basic Geometry insight about shapes advanced to engineering skills when they built modern pyramids, connecting jelly sweets and sosatie sticks.

Laying a foundation for the future
According to Dr Conradie, more fun exercises are lined up for curious minds, exploring other sciences such as Chemistry and Mathematics, combined with music. The initiative will assist to equip learners with the basics of Science into more advance learning phases of the schooling years, giving them an advantage.

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