Passionate east disabled athlete reaches new heights in 2019
Shane Smit is making a difference in the lives of young athletes in Pretoria and hopes to one day participate in the Paralympics.
An ardent athlete with willpower like no other once again completed and won the 5 000m race at the South Africa Sport Association for the Physically Disabled national championships (SASPD) in Stellenbosch earlier this year.
Shane Smit (28), whose left leg measures 73cm and his right leg 77cm, won a gold medal for achieving first prize in the 5 000m category with a time of 22:22.
“I will be performing at SASPD again next year in March or April, hoping to improve on my time,” Smit said.
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Currently, he is expanding his skills when it comes to coaching and sports conditioning. He recently took a job as athletics coach as well as conditioning coach for netball, cricket and hockey players at Maragon School in Mooikloof.
“What I love about my new job is that I get to make a long-term investment in the students and literally see how they evolve and improve in their athletic abilities. After they finish working with me, they work with their respective coaches and improve on their game from there on out.”
He hopes to one day officially participate in the Paralympic Games in order to show the world what he has achieved.
“For now, all my finances are going towards future plans in my personal life, but one day, when I have the money to fund myself, I would love to do the Paralympics,” he concludes.
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