Latest news with #Tuks'
The Citizen
a day ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Tuks athletes hope to win several medals at the World Student Games
There is a good reason why it is said that races or matches are not won on paper, but as with everything, there are exceptions. It can now already be said with certainty that there will be more than one Tuks athlete standing on the winners' podium next month in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, during the World Student Games. The statistics of the 2023 Games backs this up. South Africa won 20 medals and Tuks' contribution to the medal tally was 11. Three of the Tuks athletes who won individual medals in Chengdu, China, will be competing again. Judging by the results this year, they are faster and stronger. Charne du Plessis, who won bronze in the 800 metres in 2023, is now nearly six seconds faster. In March, the medical student made history when she won the 800 meters in 1:59.86 at Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria. In doing so, she became only the sixth South African female athlete to break the 2-minute barrier. A month later, at the SA Champs in Potchefstroom, she ran 1:58.98, qualifying for the World Champs. Her time is currently one of the 21 fastest in the world. Just for interest, at the previous Student Games, she ran 2:04.73. Her breakthrough runs came about because she has made a mindset change. 'I am not afraid anymore when I line up to race. I give my all when I run because I don't want to disappoint myself. The moment I finished racing, it is important to know it was my best effort. I could not have done better,' she said during a recent interview. Marlie Viljoen was one of only two South African athletes to win a gold medal in China last year. She was victorious in the 400 metres, running 52.38 seconds. So far this season, her best time is 51.42 seconds. She credits being faster to no longer being afraid to race hard until the end. 'Working full-time definitely helps. I'm in a routine. The work and athletics complement each other. I am more focused at work when I have trained on the track. The best is that I no longer put so much pressure on myself. I run to enjoy it and with every race,' she explained. Courtney Westley won the women's singles sculls in China. This time around, she paired up with Katherine Williams. Westley finished fifth last year in the A-final of the World Under-23 Championships. Williams has won bronze at previous World Under-23 Championships. Hannah van Niekerk was part of the South African women's 4x400m-relay team that won a bronze at the World Relay Championships. Last year, she won a bronze medal in the 400m hurdles during the World Junior Athletics Championships. She is also the South African under-23 champion for the last two years. With best times of 56.22 seconds in the hurdles event and 52.72 seconds over 400 metres, she can be considered a medal contender. A total of 34 Tuks athletes, coaches and team managers form part of the South African Student Games team. Basketball: Allen Mametja, Matthew Williams, Caroline Maine and Thoriso Kotsane. Men's coach: Thanda Kweyana. Women's coach: Thesline Davids. Rowing: Katherine Williams and Courtney Westley. Swimming: Kate Meyer, Hannah Pearce, Leigh Mcharan, Hannah Robertson, Pieter Coetzee, Matthew Randle, Arno Kruger, Cameron Casali, Owethu Mahan, Shaun Thomas. Coach: Keenan Riffel Athletics: Eckhart Potgieter, Peace Adedokun, Anastayasha George, Marlie Viljoen, Charne du Plessis, Karabo Mailula, Kayla van der Bergh, Hannah van Niekerk and Colette Uys. Archery: Joane Coetzee and Wian Roux. Team manager: Gerda Roux. Coach: Septimus Holtzhausen. Tennis: Coach: Kyla Yelverton. Team manager: Makgotso Thobejane. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading! Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here
The Citizen
29-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Local Judoka is chasing his Olympic dream
To say that Timothy Meuwsen loves judo is perhaps an understatement. He is crazy about it. This dedicated judoka's big dream, which he has cherished for years, is to represent South Africa at the Olympic Games. He knows that achieving this will require hard work and great sacrifices, but this does not deter him. It has become the norm for the member of the Tuks Judo club to practice thrice daily for six days. The hard work is paying off. Meuwsen won a bronze medal in the under-81kg category at the recent African Judo Championships in Abidjan. This has led to him being ranked in the top 100 in his weight division for the first time. He is currently ranked 85th internationally. Meuwsen describes himself as a sports fanatic. 'Many times at school, when I was sitting in the classroom writing a test, I wished I could be on the sports field instead. Rugby was my first great love. I also played cricket, but I was not that good at it. But everything changed when a friend invited me to a judo practice with him. I can't explain it, but I kept returning to the judo classes. The more I went, the more I loved doing judo. The sport grew on me. Judo has changed my love,' he explained his passion. The one thing that keeps him going is the people around him. There were times when he had no money to participate in a tournament, but every time, some people took the risk of helping him. Since joining Tuks' judo club, Meuwsen has also won a bronze medal at the African Junior Championship and last year's African Games. His big highlight was the gold he won at the African Open in Yaounde in 2022. 'It took a lot of effort to raise the money to participate. After everything was paid, I did not have much pocket money left. But I did not lack motivation. That gold medal will always remain special,' he commented. Meuwsen is under no illusions about where he will fall short if he wants to realise his dream of competing in the Games. 'I lack international experience. I am very grateful for the opportunities I get to compete in Africa. However, the reality is that African judo is very different from Europe and Asia. That is why it is important to compete more internationally. Now, all I can do to gain experience is to compete in the heavier weight divisions, such as under 90 kg and 100kg,' Meuwsen, who was last beaten in his weight division in South Africa four years ago, remarked. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
