OBAKENG MELETSE
Kat Swanepoel will attempt to control the controllables as she faces a tough but exciting road ahead of the Paris Paralympics Games, which get under way tomorrow.
Swanepoel will lead Team South Africa out for what will be her second Paralympic Games as the flag bearer, alongside track athlete Mpumelelo Mhlongo. She makes a return to the grand stage after the Tokyo Games in 2021.
🏅 Throwback to Tokyo! 🇿🇦
Ntando Mahlangu’s gold medal in the Men’s Long Jump was nothing short of legendary. 🌟 A leap that that set a new World Record. Let’s relive this iconic moment as we gear up for Paris 2024!#TeamSA #ForMyCountry #Paralympics #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/9Dk652Mbgy
The 37-year-old has previously donned the green and gold of South Africa in wheelchair rugby and basketball, but due to a lot of physical challenges and injuries sustained, she retired from both sporting codes. Her love for sport and competition led her straight into swimming, and she finds herself carrying the hopes of millions of South Africans once again.
Since the Tokyo Games, Swanepoel has enhanced her reputation in the pool and she has been to multiple World Championships. The opportunity to have a shot at winning a medal on such a big stage excites her. But she has immediate challenges to overcome.
“I had a freak accident and dislocated my shoulder a day before leaving for the Games, and my biggest achievement at the moment will be to fully recover and to enjoy every moment,” she told Independent Newspapers.
Her new-found form after the Paralympic Games in Tokyo saw her winning an impressive five medals (two gold, two silver and one bronze medal) at various World Championships between 2022 and 2023.
However, her preparation for the Games took a huge knock earlier this year.
“We had a really good training camp in Montpellier for about 10 days before we moved to the village and it was a really good opportunity. The swimming team is looking good.”
A few months before the start of the Paralympics, the International Paralympics Committee informed her that she will be competing in a different classification, against tougher competition. According to Swanepoel, Sascoc are in a race against time to try overturn that decision before her events take place.
“Unfortunately, about three months ago I got a surprise reclassification. We are all classed according to our abilities, so I got pushed up into a stronger classification with more able-bodied athletes, but at the end of the day we are here to compete.
“It was done around April. I was only due for reclassification in 2027, but at the moment there is nothing more we can do about it, but just to control the controllables, and those are in the swimming pool.”
Swanepoel was due to compete in four swimming events at the Games, but adding to her challenges is her unexpected injury, and she might have to reduce her workload and the number of events she takes up.
“We had a really good training camp in Montpellier for about 10 days before we moved to the village and it was a really good opportunity. The swimming team is looking good.
“I'm just struggling with a shoulder injury at the moment, but the medical team is working nonstop to get me ready for the Games. I might have to sit out some of my events due to my shoulder, but for now I am not yet certain what my schedule will be.”