International sporting flavour hits Potch
Potchefstroom opens its doors to International athletes all year round. Meet some of the athletes that's visiting our town.
Potchefstroom is a second home to many international athletes, with North-West University’s High-Performance Institute of
Sport and other sports facilities making it the ideal training location.
Trevor Painter, a coach from Manchester in England, is currently training his team in Potchefstroom. Trevor has been a coach for 24 years and says Potchefstroom is the perfect place for training. “It’s got to do with he altitude and temperature,” he says. “The University has created wonderful facilities where the athletes can train, and has great physios for the athletes.” Trevor enjoys the town, stating it’s probably his 26th time in Potch.
British record-holder for the 800 metres, Keely Hodgkinson, enjoys Potchefstroom. “It has everything we need and everything is close by. We have training in the mornings and afternoons, and there are lots of cafes we can spend our off-time in.” “Keely won a silver medal for the 800 metres in the 2020 Olympics, and silver in both 2022 and 2023 World Championships,” Coach Trevor states, beaming proudly.
Gloria Hooper, a 100-metre and 200-metre athlete from Italy, enjoys the quietness of the town. “It’s peaceful, and everything is close by.” Gloria enjoys cooking her meals as it is a way for her to relax. She has quite a few titles herself, including a silver medal at the 2018 Mediterranean Games.
Cornelia Hitge.
Irelander Sarah Healy is in Potchefstroom for the fourth time and says she loves it. “It is a long journey to Potch, but once you get here, everything is close by, and everyone is so friendly.” The 1,500-metre athlete won a gold medal for both the 1,500-metre and 3,000-metre at the u.18, 2018 European Athletics in Hungary. She went on to win the Irish National Cross-Country Championships in 2022.
for a fourth time. Photo: Cornelia Hitge.
Annemarie Nissen is an 800-metre athlete from Denmark. She agrees with Coach Trevor that Potchefstroom is the perfect place for training. “It has nice food and coffee shops and there’s the cinema. There’s a lot to do in between training sessions, but not too much temptation to do things other than training.” Annemarie says the training grounds are convenient as the gym and running track are opposite each other. “There are nice physios, nice facilities, ice baths; everything we need.” Annemarie enjoys Potchefstroomers and says everyone is really nice.
Cornelia Hitge.
