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A historic fourth Two Oceans Marathon win for Kovsie alumna Gerda Steyn

15 April 2023 | Story Gerda-Marié van Rooyen | Photo Two Oceans Marathon Twitter

Gerda Steyn winning the 2023 Two Oceans Marathon — Former UFS student, Gerda Steyn, made history this weekend – she is the first woman to win the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon four consecutive times.

Kovsie alumna Gerda Steyn provided much jubilation on Saturday 15 April 2023, as she became the first woman to win the Two Oceans Marathon four consecutive times. Steyn, who represented South Africa in the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan, in 2021, improved her personal best by finishing the race 39 seconds faster than her winning time in 2022.

Shortly after her fourth win in the 56 km race, Steyn told media that the desire to inspire girls kept her motivated during the race. “I thought of all the girls watching (the race) with their parents and seeing a woman who looked like everyone else winning this big race.” The former University of the Free State (UFS) professional athlete managed an average pace of 3:45 minutes per kilometre. Steyn proved that hard work pays off, as she finished 14th at the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon in 2016. Her first-ever first place at this race was in 2018, and again in 2019 and 2022 – the marathon was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Proving that she not only has golden feet but a heart of gold too, she pledged to donate some of her bonus money towards the development of athletes living in Muizenberg shortly after she won the Two Oceans in record time in 2022. A true example of perseverance and hard work, she also won the Comrades Marathon in 2019, and finished seventh in the London Marathon in 2020.

Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, says that Gerda is an embodiment of focus and determination. “I am so proud of her. The UFS is truly the home of champions, as can be seen by the achievements of Olympic track athletes Wayde van Niekerk, Louzanne Coetzee, and champions in many other sporting codes.”

Saturday’s Two Oceans Marathon saw Ethiopian-born Amelework Fikadu Bosho finish second in the women’s race – crossing the finish line 12 minutes after Steyn – with Carla Molinaro from Britain in the third position. Approximately 10 000 athletes entered the race, starting at the Newlands Stadium and ending on the University of Cape Town's campus.

News Archive

Nominations for Kovsie Alumni Awards now open

2014-07-15

It is time for the Kovsie Alumnus Awards Dinner again. The University of the Free State’s (UFS’s) Alumni office invites the UFS community and the public to nominate alumni for the Kovsie Alumnus awards.

This year’s dinner will be held on Friday 19 September 2014, where alumni and staff will be honoured for their outstanding contributions and achievements during 2013 – either in their personal capacity or in their respective professional fields.

Nominations are awaited in the following categories:

• Kovsie Alumnus of the year
The Kovsie Alumnus of the Year Award honours the outstanding achievements of a Kovsie alumnus on national or international level. The person must still be alive.

• Cum Laude Award
The Cum Laude Award is occasionally bestowed on an alumnus for outstanding service or achievement on regional, national or international level in their field of work.

• Executive Management Award
The Alumni Award for outstanding service to the UFS is occasionally made to any person (not necessarily an alumnus) who delivers/delivered exceptional service to the university.

• Kovsie Alumni Ambassador Award
The Kovsie Ambassador Award is awarded from time to time to any person (not necessarily an alumnus) who continuously delivers/delivered excellent service to the university and who has a passion for the university.

Send nominations to Kathy Verwey of the UFS’s Alumni office at verweyke@ufs.ac.za on or before Friday 18 July 2014 or phone +27(0)51 401 9343 for more information.

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