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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

New head for Student Academic Services

2009-03-05

The University of the Free State (UFS) has appointed Mr Frank Madimetja Nkoana, pictured, as the new Director of Student Academic Services (SAS).

Mr Nkoana has a wealth of experience having worked for 24 years in the field of academic administration, 14 of which have been in leadership and senior management positions, at various institutions of higher learning.

In this post he will supervise applications, admissions, financial aid and registrations through to graduations.

The Director: Student Academic Services has a pivotal role to play in developing and supporting the University’s educational agenda.

“I consider my appointment to the Division as the correct one at the right time and a blessing to the UFS in view of my experience and training in the field of academic administration,” he said.

He believes it is only through effective and efficient academic support services that the institution can achieve excellence in its academic endeavour in tandem with its vision of being “an excellent, equitable and innovative University”.

“I must see to it that SAS, as both a sector and a process, is sufficiently and appropriately supported and maintained through an effective administrative structure that is manned by skilled and well-trained personnel, adding thereto continuous development and job enhancement – thus creating a conducive environment for efficiency and effective service delivery to students, staff and the wider community,” he said.

However, he is also mindful of the challenges facing him and the Division. He considers as his main challenge, among others, the creation of a Division that is functionally able and has as its goal the achievement and provision of effective academic administrative support to the core university business.

“Our operations should be in line with new developments in academic administrative systems to enable the UFS to achieve academic excellence and global competitiveness,” said Mr Nkoana.

“We must be able to establish and strengthen a high level of ethos of service delivery and develop good human relations between the staff and the students.”

Media Release
Issued by: Mangaliso Radebe
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2828
Cell: 078 460 3320
E-mail: radebemt.stg@ufs.ac.za
05 March 2009

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