Para-team brings back 17 medals
Para-athletics team returned home on Sunday, after a gruelling finish to the IPC Athletics World Championships.
Gopolang Chawane
South Africa’s para-athletics team returned home at the weekend, with seventeen medals from the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Qatar.
With four gold, eight silver and five bronze medals, South Africa took thirteenth place on the medals table with some athletes automatically qualifying for valuable slots towards the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
The team arrived at OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday at 14:00.
With a fruitless day nine, of the Doha, Qatar IPC athletics world championships, it was Fanie van der Merwe who broke the barren score by winning a silver in the 100m on the last day.
Van der Merwe said he enjoyed the race a lot and that it had been a long time since he clocked in at 11.5 seconds.
It was day eight when world record holder Ilse Hayes added a second gold to her medal tally. She came first in the 100m dash at an unbelievable 12.37 seconds.
Hayes said it was an amazing opportunity to live her passion and to embrace every opportunity.
Second was with Nantenin Keita of France running her season’s best for silver at 12.53, with Kym Crosby (USA) taking bronze at 12.53 seconds.
In the Men’s 100 metre final, Arnu Fourie won silver and set a sub-11 African record of 10.93 seconds. Richard Brown (USA) took the win with a new world record time of 10.61 seconds.
Brazil’s Alan Oliveira won bronze at 11.02.
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