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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 theologians contribute to new Greek and Afrikaans Interlinear Bible

2012-12-25

At the event were, from the left: Prof. Francois Tolmie, Mr Chris Johnsen, Prof. Jonathan Jansen and Prof. Hermie van Zyl.
07 December 2012

Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice Chancellor and Rector of the university, received a copy of the new Interlinear Bible in Greek and Afrikaans from members of staff of the Faculty of Theology and CUM book publishers. The Bible was given to Prof. Jansen by Mr Chris Johnsen from CUM books.

The Greek and Afrikaans Interlinear Bible is a translation containing the original Greek text as well as a literal Afrikaans translation.

This Bible is the culmination of a project started seven years ago by a team of nine theologians including the Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Prof. Francois Tolmie as well as other faculty members, Prof. Hermie van Zyl and Prof. Pieter de Villiers. Mr Johnsen lauded the staff for their “tremendous contribution” to the project. With this edition, South Africa becomes the seventh country in the world to publish an Interlinear Bible.

“The departure point of this version is not a translation, it is the Greek text,” Mr Chris Johnsen said about the aim of this new work. Prof. Tolmie agreed with the publisher, saying this Bible is meant for people who do not have access to the Greek text and who want to understand it.

Prof. Jansen thanked all involved for his copy, noting the important role belief is playing in his own life as well as his work on campus.

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