FACES OF THE NATION:
The Western Cape Paralympians, who make up 40 percent of Team SA, are ready to meet the rest of the team today before jetting off to Rio later this week for the Paralympics.
OUR Paralympians are all set to go for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, Brazil.
Below is a list of the athletes from the Western Cape who will be representing South Africa at the event.
Team South Africa will be represented by 45 athletes at this year’s Paralympics in Rio, and 18 of them are from the Western Cape.
The national squad will be spread over 10 different codes that include archery, athletics, canoeing, cycling, equestrian events, powerlifting, rowing, swimming, shooting and wheelchair tennis.
WESTERN CAPE TEAM SWIMMING
Hendrik Herbst: Worcester Won a bronze medal in the men’s 100m freestyle S11 event, touching in 59.60 seconds at the London 2012 Paralympics. Won two medals in men’s S11 events at the World Championships in Montreal, Canada, in 2013. Achmat Hassiem: Cape Town A double Paralympian and bronze medallist in the 100m butterfly at London 2012 Paralympics. On September 1, 2012, Hassiem won a bronze medal in the 100m butterfly, setting a new African record of 57.76 seconds in the final.
ATHLETICS
Charl du Toit: Cape Town Won bronze at the World
Championships in 2013, and silver at the World Champs last year (400m). Broke the world and African records in the 100m and 400m this year. Hilton Langenhoven: Cape Town At the 2004 Athens Paralympics he won a silver medal (long jump), and won three gold medals (pentathlon, 200m and long jump) at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Jonathan Ntutu: Cape Town Introduced to athletics aged 8
at the Athlone School for the Blind. Won the bronze at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. Anrune Liebenberg: Stellenbosch In 2012, she won two medals at the London Paralympics: silver in the 400m, and bronze in the 200m. Ilse Hayes: Stellenbosch Won a bronze medal in the
women’s 400m at the 2004 Athens Games. In Beijing, she won the gold in the women’s long jump F13 event, and a silver in the 100m. Zanele Situ: Stellenbosch Official Flag bearer for South Africa at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Situ won the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award in 2004. In Sydney, 2000, she won gold in the F52-54 javelin, and a silver in the F51-54 discus. Arnu Fourie: Stellenbosch Won a gold medal at the 2012
London Paralympics, running the third leg as part of the South African 4x100m relay team in a world record time of 41.78 seconds. He also won a bronze medal in the 100m event with a time of 11.08 seconds at that year. Dyan Buis: Stellenbosch Won three medals at the London 2012 Paralympics. He is a sprinter and long jumper, winning silver in the 100m and 200m events, and a bronze medal in the long jump. Reinhardt Hamman: Stellenbosch In 2005, he was the best Junior Athlete for the physically challenged for the year 2004 by the Sportswriters Association for getting gold medals in five events, breaking SA records. Mpumelelo Mhlongo: Stellenbosch The first South African T44 champion in the 100m, 200m, long jump and high jump, beating qualification standards for the IPC World Championships. Fanie van der Merwe: Stellenbosch Won a gold medal in the men’s 100m in the T37 event, and a gold medal in the men’s 200ms in the T37 event at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. He also competed in the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, where he successfully defended his 100m T37 championship, winning the gold medal.
PARA-CYCLING
Ernst van Dyk: Paarl Awarded the Laureus World Sports Award for sportsperson with a disability of the year for 2006. He won gold in Beijing. Craig Ridgard: Cape Town Bronze medallist in the 2014 Italian Verolanuava road race. Last year he competed in the African Track Championships. Roxanne Burns: Stellenbosch The number one UCI world ranking in the women’s C4 division and World Championship silver medal achievement in 2010. Goldy Fuchs: Cape Town National record holder, and winner of numerous gold medals at the Nedbank National Championships, organised by the South African Sports Association for the Physically Disabled. Justine Asher: Cape Town One of the few female paracyclists in South Africa, and one of the world’s top competitors in the women’s H2 class. Asher made South Africa proud at the UCI Paracycling World Cup in Italy last year, winning two gold medals.