Hats off to the perseverance and willpower of any para-athlete, even if the medal crop is slim.
With only Monday as the last day left, the South African para-athletics team’s medal crop at this year’s World Games in Paris, which runs from July 8 to 17 at the Charlety Stadium, is on the thin side.
So far, the South African team has only won three medals (one gold, one silver and one bronze) and the team is 30th on the medal list.
China leads comfortably with 37 medals (14 gold, 13 silver and 10 bronze), followed by Brazil, the USA, Switzerland, Britain and Ukraine.
South Africa’s only gold medal so far was won by Mpumelelo Mhlongo who set a winning time of 11.46 seconds in the 100 m event (T44).
Earlier in the week, Louzanne Coetzee from Bloemfontein (with her guide Erasmus Badenhorst) won the silver medal in the 1,500 m (T11). Her time of 4:48.13 is the fastest in South Africa this year.
The clever Kerwin Noemde was third in the shot put (F46) after he achieved a distance of 15.30 m with his last throw.
Said already boasts a degree and a postgraduate diploma at the University of Stellenbosch.
More good performances were delivered by Sheryl James, who was fourth in the 400 m (T37) with Liezel Gouws fifth. James was also fourth in the 100 m.
Juané le Roux was fifth in the shot put (F46) with a distance of 10.47 m. She was also 11th in the javelin.
Puseletso Mabote was eighth in the long jump (T63), with Teza Abrahams seventh in the long jump (T64).
Source: World Para Athletics
