Athletics star Louzanne Coetzee will try to emulate her silver and bronze from Tokyo at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Photo: Reuters
Team South Africa are geared up for the 2024 Paris Paralympics which will get under way in just less than a week.
South Africa will take 37 athletes to compete in various events, with a goal to surpass the results in Tokyo in 2021.
The road to Paris and athlete preparations have been slightly smoother than those of the Covid-19-hit Tokyo Paralympics, and Team SA will hope they have a strong enough team to surpass the four golds, one silver and two bronze medals achieved in 2021.
The athletes will receive the same incentives as the Olympics athletes, with a gold-medal win worth R400 000 and R100 000 for the coach, and R200 000 for a silver medal plus R50 000 for a coach, while the bronze medallist will earn R75 000 and R25 000 for the coach respectively.
There will also be incentives for Boccia, which is similar to bowls, and Team SA will be represented by four athletes. A gold medallist will earn R200 000 and R100 000 for the coach, R100 000 and R50 000 for a silver medallist, and R40 000 and 20 000 for a bronze medal.
🏅 Meet Elanza Jordaan
— Team South Africa (@OfficialTeamRSA) August 21, 2024
📆 First Paralympic Games: Paris 2024
🏅 Classification: BC3
🏆 Achievements: Competing alongside Karabo Morapedi, Elanza is set to debut at Paris 2024, bringing strong tactical play to the court.#TeamSA #ForMyCountry #Paralympics #Boccia pic.twitter.com/vWEX10DdSE
General manager of high performance and chef de mission for the Paralympic Games, Leon Fleiser, said Team SA are taking a young team to Paris where the main aim will be to get ready for the LA Games in 2028.
🎯 What is Boccia? 🏅
— Team South Africa (@OfficialTeamRSA) August 21, 2024
It’s a game of precision, strategy, and skill! Watch our video now to learn about Boccia!#TeamSA #ForMyCountry #Paralympics #Boccia pic.twitter.com/co0ytC0acD
Cyclist Nicolas Pieter du Preez will make a return to the Games following his gold medal win in 2021.
His medal was the only one won outside the athletics events, with the rest of the six podium finishes coming from the track and field events.
Team South Africa will however be without the services of Anruné Weyers, who signed off with a gold medal win at the Tokyo Games, while winner of two gold medals, Ntando Mahlangu, also misses out due to injuries sustained in a car accident in September last year.
South Africa will have representation in nine sporting events.
Athletics
Generally a strong medal hope for Team SA, and the squad will be guided by Louzanne Coetzee (silver and bronze) and Sheryl James (bronze), who combined for three medals in Tokyo, while exciting sprinter and long jumper, winner of gold in the 2024 world championships, Mpumelelo Mahlangu, will aim to add to his medal column against the best in the world.
South Africa will have a total of 17 athletes (men and women) across all track and field events.
AMENDMENT!
— Team South Africa (@OfficialTeamRSA) August 21, 2024
We erroneously omitted one of our Para Athletics superheroes, Tezna Abrahams, from the Athletics squad list on our post yesterday.
This is the Para Athletics Team that will be representing #TeamSA. #ForMyCountry pic.twitter.com/2ajAVCSHHE
Archery
Shaun Anderson will be the lone representative for Team SA in archery, and this will be his third appearance at the Games after first-round eliminations at Rio 2016 and Tokyo in 2021 respectively.
Equestrian
Philippa Johnson-Dwyer will represent South Africa in her sixth Paralympic Games, alongside Christiaan Haazen (Groom). Johnson-Dwyer won two gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games and two silver medals in the 2004 Athens Games in Championship IV and Freestyle IV respectively.
Wheelchair Tennis
Winner of the 2013 US Open, Lucas Sithole, headlines a team of five athletes, with multiple doubles Grand Slam winner Kgothatso Montjane also aiming for more silverware.
The Olympics are done and dusted and now the excitement builds as we count down the final 1️⃣4️⃣ days to the 2024 Paralympic Games!
— Team South Africa (@OfficialTeamRSA) August 14, 2024
See the full #TeamSA squad that will be representing us with pride here
👉https://t.co/XA4MZkD7S2
🇿🇦 #ForMyCountry #TeamSA #Paralympics pic.twitter.com/ewz57MdLkP
Judo
The 32-year-old Ndyebo Lamani will make his second appearance at the Paralympic Games. The visually impaired athlete will compete in the men’s 73kg J1, and he has a best finish of 17th at the 2022 World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Para-Triathlon
Kirsty Weir will aim to hit the ground running in her first Paralympic Games when she takes on the multi-course challenge of the Para-Triathlon.
Swimming
Christian Sadie has won six medals in global competitions, and he will have his sights on his first Paralympic medal in Paris, while Alani Ferreira will make her third straight appearance at the Games.
Flag bearer and winner of gold at the 2023 world championships in Manchester, Kat Swanepoel, headlines a team of five athletes, with a fair amount of hope for a medal from her.
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