Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Why put-ting in effort pays off
IT FEELS normal for Kerwin Noemdo to have one arm.
The Bellville resident will compete in his third World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai next month.
He was born with an underdeveloped right hand after the umbilical cord wrapped around his wrist, stopping the blood flow to his lower arm. A few months after his mother gave birth, his right arm between wrist and elbow was amputated.
“It feels completely normal for me. Just like anyone else would learn to do things with their hands, I learned to do things with my one hand and stump. I played many sports growing up, but probably the most shocking to people is when I say I played rugby all the way up until matric at Paul Roos Gym.”
He will take part in the F46 shot put event at the championships.
Noemdo currently holds the national records for shot put and discuss in the U16, U18, U20, and the men’s senior category in the F46 class.
He also holds the African record for shot put in the men’s senior category in the F46 class.
Noemdo said it was an honour and privilege to be a part of the South African team. He has already represented the country on three occasions – International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports World Games (Sharjah, 2011), World Para Athletics Championships (Lyon, 2013), and World Para Athletics Championships in 2017 in London.
“In Grade 7, Zelda Hansen (now the South African Sports Association for Physically Disabled National Sport Convenor) approached and asked me if I would try out Para Athletics. At first, I was hesitant and didn’t want to do it, but then after convincing from my mother, I decided to give it a go.”