PARALYMPICS 2024: 'I want to break the world record' says discus world champion Simoné Kruger
Friday night Simoné Kruger will be competing in her second Paralympic Games in women’s F38 discus field.
Para-athlete Simoné Kruger will represent South Africa at the 2024 Paralympics. Picture: Jacques Nelles/ Eyewitness News.
JOHANNESBURG – World champion Simoné Kruger will be competing at the Paris Paralympic Games on Friday night.
The 19-year-old started her athletics journey 10 years ago. She was enthused by her sister while training for discus and decided to take up the discipline and realised that she had a knack for it.
At the age of 12, the youngster commenced with discus competitions and won most of them, thus building self-confidence in the process.
Friday night she will be competing in her second Paralympic Games in women’s F38 discus field.
At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games held in 2021 due to COVID-19, she finished fifth with a throw of 31.51m.
“I’m really excited about Paris it’s my second Paralympic Games because I went to Tokyo. But I think, personally, it's going to be a different experience because, with COVID and stuff like that, there were so many restrictions. So it's going to be, I think, more exciting than the Paralympics in Tokyo, but I want to break the world record and take the gold medal again,” said Kruger.
The world champion won South Africa's second gold medal and broke the world record in the Women’s Discus with a throw of 38.82m at the Kobe 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Japan, in May.
“I have put in all the work so on the day I compete at the Paris Paralympics. It's going to be God's plan, and on the day, what happens is going to be his journey for me. So I'm going to do my 100% on the field, and he's going to do the rest," added Kruger.
In 2023, the then-18-year-old rewrote history at the world champs in the F38 discus event, setting a new world record with a throw of 38.1m to snatch the gold medal.
The F38 is for field athletes with coordination and movement affected to a low degree in the lower trunk and legs, down one side or the whole body.
“I have Cerebral Palsy, I got a stroke when I was still in my mother's womb, so that, well, the effect was, like my right side of my body got injured. So from a really young age, we had to build up all the muscles again, so that I could just walk and we started with being able to go to sports,” explained the athlete.
The Dubai 2019 World Championship silver medalist is trained and accompanied by her father Andries Kruger to every competition.
“It is a very interesting journey because if you start looking at the positive side, it doesn't matter where we are. Doesn't matter where we have a holiday at the coast, wherever we go. She's got a coach. We do not always have facilities so we will do drills. There are various different drills that we'll do. So the father-child relationship and because the coach is always there, it makes a massive difference” said Andries.
Her father not only coaches her, but documents her events and other athletes at every competition he attends, with hopes that para-athletes will attract sponsors.
“I want to create memories for all the athletes because that is the only picture they can take home and relive the magic with their friends, family and coaches. This also assists the athletes with their marketing on social media, which has become very important for every athlete” said Andries.