18-year-old Minke Janse van Rensburg might as well make medals her middle name after she earned multiple victories in gold, silver and bronze at the Down Syndrome European Championships for her many epic swims!
Global (11 September 2023) — The SUDS 2023 European Championships saw a South African superstar in their midst recently. Taking Italian waters by storm, Minke Janse van Rensburg made her home town of George in the Western Cape beyond proud, along with South African supporters everywhere.
The Down Syndrome European Championship heats were on from 3-10 September in Padova, Italy, where this South African talent certainly made a splash among international competitors, scoring placements for each podium with her bronze, silver and two-time gold-winning swims.
Minke’s Results:
The 18-year-old swimmer earned gold for the 100m freestyle and 50m freestyle, bronze for the 50m backstroke, and silver for the 200m freestyle, 50m butterfly, 200m IM silver 400m freestyle—an incredible sporting treasure chest!
This is not Minke’s first time blowing our socks off (or securing multiple medals). Back in 2018, the young swimmer kickstarted her career with multiple, national gold wins and became one of only nine swimmers selected by the South African Sports Association for the Intellectually Impaired. She soon went on to represent SA at the World Down Syndrome Swimming Championships and in 2021, broke 7 world records in a single week.
In 2022, she was named the South African Sports Woman of the Year with a Disability.
Meanwhile, in other golden news for the sport, Alwande Sikhosana recently defended his status as Africa’s top-spot wheelchair tennis star and secured his spot to compete in the 2024 Paris Paralympics after a triumphant tennis tournament at the African Para Games in Ghana!
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