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Peter Makgato - from despair to medals

22 December 2022 | Story Jóhann Thormählen | Photo Anja Aucamp

If it wasn’t for Peter Makgato’s UFS support system, he would have been lost to South African athletics. The road of recovery after a serious injury can be lonesome, but he was never alone.

The promising long jumper had to learn to walk again after the injury to his Achilles tendon and could only compete more than a year after his dreams were shattered in November 2020.

Only months after returning to jumping in 2022, he was winning medals again.

Keeping me focused

“Without KovsieSport, I believe I would have hung up my spikes after that injury,” says Makgato. “Throughout the entire journey back, I had support from my coach (Emmarie Prinsloo; Head of KovsieSport Jumping Academy) and Oom DB (Prinsloo; Head of Athletics at KovsieSport).”

He also praises “the expert medical help” from Kovsie Health and says he went through nothing alone. “My progress was monitored by a team that knew me before the injury and this meant they were able to keep me focused on the progress and not on the injury.”

Although he had injuries before, Makgato says the emotional challenges were much bigger. “What really helped me were a few words from Wayde van Niekerk days after my operation when I went back to the track on crutches. He told me not to lose my head.

“That is the best advice you can give someone in my position. Physically I was broken, I had to make sure that mentally I fought to stay above the waters.”

Bigger goals in mind

He was only able to walk again from May 2021, started rehab in August 2021, and was running properly by December 2021.

He was only able to jump competitively again in March 2022, and a month later claimed a bronze medal at the South African Championships (7,47 m). This was followed by a USSA bronze in May 2022 (7,46 m).

“I had bigger goals in mind. Now that I look back, I realise that for a person who could not even run properly five months before and who had little preparation time, I was doing pretty good.”

And now the Master of Laws student has his sights on bigger things again: The World Athletics Championships next year and the Olympic Games in 2024.

News Archive

UFS busy with building projects to the value of R220 million

2010-07-26

Pictured at the sod-turning ceremony are, from the left: Mr Nico Janse van Rensburg (Manager: Physical Planning), Prof. Jonathan Jansen (Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS) and Prof. Dennis Francis (Dean: Faculty of Education).
Photo: Ula van Zyl

Since 2009, the University of the Free State (UFS) has already rolled out building projects to the value of R220 million on its Main and Qwaqwa Campuses.

Some of these projects include a new building for Education Training for the Faculty of Education, which will be erected at a cost of R21 million on the Main Campus opposite the UFS-Sasol Library. The sod-turning ceremony of the centre took place last week.

Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, turned the first sod and a tree was also planted at the future entrance of this impressive building. “I am impressed with the eco-friendly design of the building and what the project promises for the future of the faculty and the UFS. It is important that the UFS continues to expand and improve,” he said.

The building, which will primarily be used for the training of Mathematics and Science teachers in the foundational phase, will amongst others boast three classrooms with seating for 100 students each, an auditorium that can seat 225 students and an office block. The auditorium will also be used as a classroom in the traditional African context of open-air teaching. The building has been designed to save water and power efficiently and will be completed by the end of 2011.

Other building projects that have been rolled out on the Main Campus this year include a building consisting of lecturing halls as well as offices for the Faculty of Health Sciences, a new skills laboratory, new laboratories, etc., at the Biotechnology Building, the renovation of the Stef Coetzee Building, die upgrading of various lecturing halls, the upgrading of service workers’ quarters, as well as the installation of computer rooms in virtually all the hostels.

Various other projects are in the pipeline, for example, extensions to the building in which the Department of Architecture is housed. At the Qwaqwa Campus, a new building for the Faculty of Education is under construction, laboratories are being renovated and new hostels for 200 students are being built.

Media Release:
Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication (actg)
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl@ufs.ac.za
26 July 2010

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