Louzanne Coetzee (born 18 April 1993) is a South African para-athlete.[1]

Louzanne Coetzee
Personal information
National teamSouth Africa
Born18 April 1993 (1993-04-18) (age 31)
Bloemfontein, South Africa
Height1.54 m (5 ft 1 in)
Weight48 kg (106 lb)
Sport
Country South Africa
SportPara Athletics
Disability classT11
ClubUniversity of the Free State of Bloemfontein
Coached byGirda Siebert
Medal record
Paralympic athletics
Representing  South Africa
Paralympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo 1500 m T11
Bronze medal – third place 2020 Tokyo Marathon T12
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris 1500 m T11
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Paris 1500 m T11
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Kobe 1500 m T11

Career

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Coetzee was born blind as a result of a hereditary condition called Leber congenital amaurosis and competes in the T11 disability class, for athletes with the highest level of visual impairment.[2][3] In 2017, Coetzee broke the 5000 m (women) world record in her disability class,[4] while in April 2018 she became the first visually impaired athlete to compete at the World University Cross Country Championships in Switzerland.[5]

Coetzee competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics representing South Africa in the Women's 1500 metres.[6] She was, however, disqualified when her guide, Khotatso Mokone, was deemed to have provided illegal assistance.[4]

In 2021, Coetzee competed at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, winning the silver medal in the 1500 m final in a new Africa record of 4:40.96 and the bronze medal in the T12 women's marathon in a new T11 world record time of 3:11:13.[7][8]

References

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  1. ^ "Athletics - COETZEE Louzanne". Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Louzanne Coetzee". ufs.ac.za. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Louzanne Coetzee Biography". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee.
  4. ^ a b "WATCH : 'I don't understand' - SA guide for blind runner on disqualification at Paralympics | News24". m.news24.com. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  5. ^ "More Records for Louzanne Coetzee, a history-making South Africa star". fisu.net. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  6. ^ "SA para athlete Coetzee makes up for Rio disappointment with 'world best' in Bloem". enca.com. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  7. ^ Lemke, Gary (30 August 2021). "TOKYO 2020: Pace and planning come together as Coetzee clinches silver in Paralympics 1,500m". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Athletics - Final Results". Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 4 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
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