Paralympian, Louzanne Coetzee, who competes in the Women’s 1500m and marathon says she is ready to shine in Paris this year when the paralympic games starts. The T11 athlete is a world record holder of 5000m attained in 2017 within her category.
Louzanne has been through tremendous preparation ahead of the Paris games. She does this with her two guides, one for the marathon and one for the track. Louzanne believes that she can take on whatever comes her way and commented by saying, “I am excited and eager to compete at the games, due to my long and extended hours of training, which I have put in.” However, she admitted that part of the reason she feels so ready is for being part of the Bidvest OPEX programme which has offered her, and other athletes support needed throughout their training.
Louzanne also commended her fellow athletes and guide runners for always inspiring her to do what she does, despite her being visually impaired. When asked if there were any challenges during her training, Louzanne said, “Challenges will always be there, but it is up to you as an individual how you handle them. In every negative situation, you should be able to pick up some positives and by so doing, you become stronger and stronger. What matters most is the positive attitude towards any situation.”
Like many other athletes, Louzanne acknowledged Bidvest OPEX and SASCOC’s support as being central to some of her successes, “Through their support, I now have opportunities, resources and most importantly a positive spirit towards my career journey.”
The Bloemfontein born Louzanne had this to say to the young ones who aspire to become like her, “Success does not come overnight. Put more efforts and hours behind the scenes when no one is watching and that is what will put you out there.”