Get to know your Team SA Paralympic athletes and their classifications

By Gary Lemke

Team SA has representatives across nine sporting codes at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. Here’s a guide to the classification of the athletes and what they are competing in.

ARCHERY 

W1 Shaun Anderson 

Archers with moderately affected coordination, highly affected range of movement or the absence of limbs. These archers all shoot from seated and create their own style in pulling the bow back and aiming.

ATHLETICS

T11 Louzanne Coetzee (1500m and marathon)

Runners with a near-total visual impairment. Some can make out an object at 25cm but all compete with a sighted guide runner.

T12 Jaco Smit (100m)

Vision is constricted to a radius of less than five degrees and/or the ability to recognise a moving object at a distance of one metre.

T37 Sheryl James (100m, 200m, 400m), Liezel Gouws (400m and long jump)

Athletes with movement and coordination moderately affected down one side. They have to compensate for asymmetry in the start, stride and overall power distribution.

T38 Simone Kruger (discus)

Athletes with movement and coordination affected to a low degree in the lower trunk and legs, down one side or the whole body. They show asymmetry and slightly reduced coordination of muscle movement. Their running style is smoothed out as they increase in speed.

T44 Mpumelelo Mhlongo (100m and long jump), Tezna Abrahams (long jump and 200m)

Athletes with movement affected at a low or moderate degree in one lower leg. They have unaffected knee joints allowing for controlled power delivery but they must focus harder to sense and grip the track surface.

T46 Khumo Pitso (high jump)

Runners with movement moderately or highly affected in one or both arms or the absence of limbs. These athletes generate drive almost exclusively using the legs with reduced counterbalance from the arms.

T47 Collen Mahlalela (400m)

Runners with movement affected at a low to moderate degree in one arm or the absence of limbs. They adjust for asymmetric upper body balance.

T62 Paul Daniels (400m), Daniel du Plessis (400m)

Athletes with the absence of both legs below the knee. All have difficulty accelerating out of the blocks.

T63 Puseletso Mabote (100m and long jump)

Runners with the absence of one leg above the knee. All have difficulty accelerating out of the blocks.

F12 Hermanus Blom (shot put)

Field athletes with a visual impairment. These throwers have a moderate visual impairment. They have a restricted field of view or their central vision is a blur.

F44 Yane van der Merwe (discus)

Field athletes with available movement moderately affected in one lower leg. These athletes have to adjust for asymmetric balance; in the run-up javelin, and across the throwing circle in shot out and discus.

F46 Kerwin Noemdo (shot put)

Field athletes with moderately affected movement in one or both arms or the absence of limbs. These athletes have to transmit power from hips and legs into the throw.

BOCCIA

BC3 Karabo Cassius Morapedi and Elanza Jordaan

Competitors with movement moderately affected in the trunk and to a high degree in the limbs. Athletes use a ramp to deliver the ball onto the court via a mouth pointer, head pointer or finger release.

CYCLING

H1 Pieter du Preez

Hand cyclists with highly affected movement in the trunk, legs and hands. All generate power just using their upper arms and shoulders. Some may use devices to assist with grip.

EQUESTRIAN

G4 (GIV) Philippa Johnson-Dwyer

Riders with low to moderate levels of coordination, moderately affected movement in the hip joint, the absence of limbs, or a near-total visual impairment. These riders are capable of circling and changes of pace at walk, trot and canter.

JUDO

J1 Ndyebo Lamani (under 73kg)

For visually impaired athletes. They begin each fight in a hold and must not move outside of the mat, though completely blind fighters are allowed occasional steps outside.

PARA-TRIATHLON

PTS4 Kirsty Weir

Triathletes have coordination affected at a low level on one side, at a high degree in one arm, or the absence of limbs. In the swim, all have a reduction of power. In the cycle, PTS4s tend to either have good power but reduced control or vice-versa. In the run, all compensate for imbalance and asymmetry.

SWIMMING

S5 Kat Swanepoel (50m backstroke, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle)

Swimmers with coordination moderately affected, movement highly affected in the mid-trunk and legs, or the absence of limbs. These swimmers have difficulty holding good body position or swimming straight.

SB4 Kat Swanepoel (100m breaststroke)

Breaststroke swimmers with coordination affected to a moderate degree in the whole body, or to a high degree in the trunk and legs.

SM5 Kat Swanepoel (200m IM)

Medley swimmers with coordination moderately affected, movement highly affected in the mid-trunk and legs, or the absence of limbs.

S7 Christian Sadie (50m butterfly, 100m backstroke, 50m freestyle)

Movement affected from a low to moderate level in the arms, trunk and legs, moderately down one side, those with short stature, or the absence of limbs. All these swimmers have to work harder at stroke timing or getting hold of the water.

SM7 Christian Sadie (200m IM)

Medley swimmers with movement affected from a low to moderate level in the arms, trunk and legs, moderately down one side, those with short stature, or the absence of limbs.

S12 Alani Ferreira (400m freestyle)

Swimmers with a visual impairment. They have a restricted field of view and some cannot see the black line on the bottom of the pool. They can see the end of the lane from 1m away.

SB12 Alani Ferreira (100m breaststroke)

Same as above, but for breaststroke.

SM12 Alani Ferreira (200m IM)

Same as above, but for medley.

S12-13 Alani Ferreira (100m butterfly)

Swimmers with a visual impairment. Their peripheral vision is restricted and/or they are able to see the end of the pool from a maximum of 5m.

S13 Nathan Hendricks (200m individual medley, 100m backstroke)

Same as above.

SB13 Nathan Hendricks and Danika Vyncke (100m breaststroke)

Same as above, but for breaststroke.

S14 Kat Swanepoel (400m freestyle)

Swimmers who have an intellectual impairment. These swimmers find it hard to understand and apply training techniques and competition strategies, especially in busy competition swimming arenas.

WHEELCHAIR TENNIS

QT Donald Ramphadi, Lucas Sithole

Players have affected movement and coordination in all four limbs. These players are affected in their ability to propel or manoeuvre their wheelchair and perform a full range of normal tennis strokes. Some players may not be able to perform an overhead serve.

WT Alwande Sikhosana, Kgothatso Montjane and Mariska Venter

Players are affected in the legs, hips or have the absence of lower limbs. All players have a full range of shots and can move around the court quickly and precisely in their wheelchair.  

Gary Lemke is in Paris as part of Team SA. Story adapted from Daily Maverick

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