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Louzanne Coetzee grabs third Paralympic medal for Team SA
The visually impaired athlete completed the race in 4:40.96 with her guide, Estean Badenhorst, to break the African record.
Louzanne Coetzee and guide Estean Badenhorst of South Africa celebrate her silver medal at the Paralympics in Tokyo on Monday. Picture: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Distance runner Louzanne Coetzee secured the SA team’s third medal on Monday morning, on day six of the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
Competing in the women’s 1 500m final in the T11 class, for athletes who are completely blind, Coetzee took second place to bag the silver medal.
The 28-year-old athlete from Bloemfontein completed the race in 4:40.96 with her guide, Estean Badenhorst, breaking the African record.
Monica Rodriguez Saavedra of Mexico won gold in a world record of 4:37.40.
“I’m overwhelmed. I couldn’t have asked for a better race, a better guide or better preparation,” an emotional Coetzee said in tears.
“I’m very thankful for how everything went down.”
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Coetzee will compete again on Sunday when she is joined by her road-running guide, Claus Kempsen, in the marathon race.
Midway through day six of competition at the Games, the SA team had raked in two gold medals and one silver.
