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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

Kovsie athletes set the world alight

2009-08-05

Kovsie athletes Johan Cronjé, Thuso Mpuang and Kagisho Kumbane recently left for Berlin to participate in the World Senior Athletics Championships that will take place from 15-23 August 2009. It is an extraordinary achievement for the University of the Free State (UFS) that three of its athletes were included in the South African senior group that will participate in the world athletics championships in Berlin.

Johan will participate in the 1 500 m. Thuso, who earlier this year won a bronze medal in the 200 m at the World Student Games that were held in Belgrade, Serbia with a time of 20,69 seconds, will again participate in the 200 m at the championships in Berlin. Together with Kagisho he is also included in the South African relay team that will participate in the 4 x 100 m relay at these championships. Both Thuso and Kagisho were included in the South African team that ended third in the 4 x 100 m relay in Belgrade.

Kagisho also participated in the World Student Games in Belgrade, Serbia and progressed to the third round in the 100 m. Boy Soke, also a Kovsie athlete, ended in ninth place in the 5 000 m finals in Belgrade.

Windy Jonas, also from Kovsies, has left for Mauritius where he will participate in the Africa Junior Championships that will take place from 30 July to 3 August.


Boy Soke	Windy Jonas	Johan Cronjé

Thuso Mpuang		Kagisho Kumbane

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