Dylan Bettencourt
The Paralympics came to its conclusion on Sunday morning with Team South Africa ending their games in emphatic fashion, winning another medal taking their total to seven.
Louzanne Coetzee put the icing on the cake when she won the bronze medal in the women’s T12 marathon. Coetzee had previously won silver in the 1,500m event (T11) and showed her determination to claw back third place in Tokyo on Sunday morning.
The 28-year-old impressed even further as her time of 3hr 11min 13 sec became the T11 world record. This gives Team SA a total of seven medals, four gold, one silver and two bronze as well as achieving an amazing three world records during the games.
South Africa had five different medal winners in Tokyo, Ntando Mahlangu with two gold medals, Anrune Weyers with one gold as well as Pieter du Preez with one gold. Coetzee won one silver and one bronze and finally, Sherly James won one bronze medal.
Following her world record time and winning her country’s final medal, Coetzee said she felt finishing in third place felt ‘special’.
“We were in fifth place for a long way, and it was never in my head to move into third. But I’ve been blessed. A world record in my class, a PB and a medal. I can’t ask for more. I’ve run a couple of bad marathons in the past, but this was perfect,” Coetzee said.
The shining light of the Paralympics is without a doubt the 19-year-old Mahlangu who won two gold medals and broke two world records. Despite being a teenager, the South African shocked the world with his stellar performances in the men’s 200m T61 and the men’s long jump T63.
Mahlangu will fly the South African flag high for years to come and will definitely become a global superstar in the form he is in.
Image source: @TeamSA2020
