SA’s world-record-breaking para-athlete, Simoné Kruger, is after yet another challenge as she gears up to compete at the World Athletics Championships in September.
Stellenbosch, South Africa (18 August 2025) – Some athletes spend a lifetime chasing a single world record. For 20-year-old Simoné Kruger, it’s becoming a bit of a habit, and she’s just getting started.
The Stellenbosch University student, born with cerebral palsy after a stroke in the womb, has been shattering records since her early teens and has become one of SA’s brightest para-sport stars.
Simoné’s journey in para-athletics began with family at her side. Her dad, Andries, is her daily coach and has been a constant support, with her sister also inspiring her to take up shot put and discus.
“My parents paid for my first five competitions. My sister gives me so much support, and I am thankful for every small donation and sponsorship because this sport is expensive,” she says, as per Stellenbosch University, who recently profiled their star student.
It’s no wonder she throws for more than medals.
“I guess I want to perform at my best to show my gratitude – especially for my good genes: My dad and grandfather did shotput and discus; my sister was a talented netball player; and my mom excelled in high jump!”
Simoné broke her first world record and clinched silver at just 14 years old at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai. She kept smashing her own records, grabbing gold and another world record in Paris in 2023, and a gold plus a new Paralympic record at the Paris 2024 Games.
She’s also the proud holder of the 2025 Zanele Situ Trophy from the Winelands International Para Athletics Championships, was named Athletics SA’s Athlete of the Year with a Disability, and recognised as South Africa’s top sports newsmaker in 2024. This year, she’s in the running for both Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability and Youth/Junior Sport Star at the SA Sports Awards, as well as a GSport Award.
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Despite the very many accolades and headlines, Simoné stays humble and focused on the bigger picture, hoping to inspire others.
“I had a stroke in the womb and was born with cerebral palsy, so I really do not know what ‘normal’ is,” she laughs. “I have impaired use of my right side and needed intense therapies and electric devices to learn to walk. So, I do understand the challenges and the journey to building confidence as a disabled person. Now I can open eyes, reshape perceptions and inspire others.”
Kruger will not only be defending her legacy in discus, but she’s adding shot put to her list at this year’s World Athletics Championships.
“There’s always something else, some new challenge,” she says. “In September I am going to the World Athletics Championships in India – and I am now competing in shot put too. It’s going to be interesting because we don’t know how well I will cope. It’s very exciting.”
She doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon. With fifteen years of competition ahead of her, she aims to bring biokinetics into para-sport, or become a classifier, she says.
Simoné proves that South African grit can set new standards for the world!
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