Louzanne Coetzee wins Paralympic bronze with guide Estean Badenhorst in sync, adding to her Paralympic tally before the marathon this weekend.
Paris, France (02 September 2024) – Louzanne Coetzee, with her guide Estean Badenhorst, smashed her personal best on her way to winning a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. This bronze adds to her medal tally, including her achievements at the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics. It’s quite something to watch just how in sync the two of them are—same stride length and cadence. They had a plan to run even splits, and Estean, who is Louzanne’s guide for the 1500m, says,
“I’m like a running commentary, and I think Louzanne likes to know everything that’s going on. I need to be concise and to the point, and not too overwhelming with too much information. So just basically saying who’s in front of us, who’s coming past, what’s the time—stuff like that. Very important because she can’t necessarily judge 100 meters left, 50 meters left. Okay, dip. So, I communicate the entire time.”
He was brimming with pride, and she was delighted by how fast she went. They clearly have a special bond, with Louzanne being so grateful to her family and support system, and Estean constantly thanking her for her trust in him.
Embracing Imperfection and Racing on Her Own Terms
Neither of them are fussy people. Louzanne shared that, to her, “when the going gets really tough, often, the perfect comes out of the imperfect.” Estean added, “trust the process and you’ll get there.” Maybe that’s not really easy for all of us, but it’s not really easy for them either. Life can be tough and it can get overwhelming; if anything, that is what this whole trip has been—an overwhelming adventure.
Looking at everything all at once is a lot. But day by day, session by session, things seem to make a little more sense. So what they said really hit home. If you get a chance to watch Louzanne and her guides run, do so. She runs her own race—not because she can’t see the competition, because as Estean says, her guides put her in the picture—but because she is confident enough to make her own decisions. That doesn’t mean that she isn’t a racer; she reacts to those around her but doesn’t let it knock her off course. Such confidence without ego is just lovely to see.
In addition to her success in the 1,500m, Louzanne is also set to race in the marathon this weekend, with guide Claus Kempen. Asking if this medal gives her confidence for the marathon, she chuckles and says, “Oh no, zero”. It’s a different event. A different set of circumstances but she will take it in her stride. If you have the option to chat to her, take it. She makes everything seem simple, attainable, and fun.
Zareena Gaibee will be on the ground in Paris for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympics events, sharing her take on the prestigious sporting event, giving exclusive insights into life at the games, and hopefully meeting many of the South Africans in Paris who are competing and supporting. She will be reporting her findings for Good Things Guy, giving readers a glimpse of what flying the flag in Paris is all about.
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