Louzanne Coetzee secured South Africa’s first medal at the World Para-Athletics Championship in Paris on Monday.
Coetzee finished second in the 1,500m for T11 female athletes. Her time of 4:48.13 is her best this past season. Kenya’s Nancy Chelangat Koech set a new championship record with her winning time of 4:46.55.
Coetzee finished second (4:54.90) in her heat on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Tezna Abrahams finished eighth in the long jump for T64 athletes on Monday morning, while Refilwe Mosifane was fifth in his heat in the 400 m (T36 class).
Four more South African athletes are in action later today. Puseletso Mabote will compete in the finals of the long jump (T63 class), while Jaco Smit will be in action in the 100 m final (T12). Sheryl James and Liezel Gouws will battle it out in the final of the 400 m (T37).
Brandon Beack gave everything in the final of the 1,500 m (T52) on Sunday, but had to settle for seventh place. Ndodomzi Ntutu was second in his heat in the 100 m (T12), but his time (11:04), his best of the season, was not fast enough to qualify for the next round.
