Toti Olympian recalls winning gold 18 years ago
Penny is the only woman to have won 100m and 200m breaststroke events at the Olympic games.
ON this day in 1996, Toti swimming legend, Penny Heyns won a gold medal in the 200-metre breaststroke event at the Atlanta Olympics.
She was the first woman to win both the 100m and 200m breaststroke events at the Olympics, having won a gold in the 100-metre event two days earlier. Even though she managed to snatch the gold medal in the 100-metre event, she was disappointed with herself, as she was hoping to break her own world record.
“My life changed after the two Olympic Gold medals of Atlanta 1996 and my subsequent career activities are largely possible due to the achievements and the platform created as a result,” said Penny.
“As the years have passed I have grown to appreciate the events and achievements of Atlanta 1996, realising that what I did there was and still is unprecedented as I remain the only woman thus far to ever win both the 100m and 200m
breaststroke events at an Olympic Games,” she said.
In 1996 and 1999, Penny was named Female World Swimmer of the year by Swimming World Magazine.
During her professional swimming career, she has broke world records in the 50-metre breaststroke (long course) in 30.83; 100-metre breaststroke (long course) with 1.06.52; 200-metre breaststroke (long course) in 2.23.64; 100-metre breaststroke (short course) in 1.05.57.
She retired from swimming in 2001 and currently offers swimming clinics and camps and also doubles up as a professional speaker on the corporate circuit. Penny conceded that she does miss swimming at times, but her busy schedule does allow her to swim as often as she would like.
Penny was born in 1974 in Springs, Gauteng and later matriculated at Amanzimtoti High School.
