Paralympian Simoné Kruger starts her year with the Zanele Situ trophy and ASA Award
Simoné Kruger was awarded the Zanele Situ trophy for the best-performing athlete at the recent Winelands International Para Athletics Championships.
- South African Sports Association for the Physically Disabled (SASAPD)
- Athletics South Africa
- Simoné Kruger
Para-athlete Simoné Kruger will represent South Africa at the 2024 Paralympics. Picture: Jacques Nelles/ Eyewitness News.
JOHANNESBURG – Paralympian Simoné Kruger started off her year on a high.
The Paralympic gold medallist was awarded the Zanele Situ trophy for the best-performing athlete at the recent Winelands International Para Athletics Championships.
"My favourite moment was when I got to hold the Zanele Situ trophy because Zanele was such a legend in para-athletics and to hold the trophy in her honour was amazing," said Kruger.
Zanele Situ, who passed away in November 2023 was the first black South African to win Paralympic gold at the 2000 Sydney Games, and at 50 years old was the oldest member of Team SA to compete at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021.
Matatiele-born Situ was a two-time world javelin champion, and a four-time medalist after clinching two golds in the javelin in 2000 and 2004, silver in the discus in 2000, and bronze in the javelin in 2016.
Earlier in the year, Kruger scooped the Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability at the Athletics South Africa Awards for the second year in a row.
"It is still a huge honour to achieve that award. To be recognized by ASA among abled body athletes is an amazing achievement," said Kruger.
The ASA Awards celebrate the country's top-performing athletes and their efforts during the 2024 season.
Kruger represented South Africa at the Paris Paralympics and brought home one of South Africa’s six medals from the 2024 Games.
"My favourite moment in Paris was my competition day. Being in that situation was indescribable and I enjoyed every moment of it. My close second one was going to Disneyland Paris with my family." said the athlete.
The 19-year-old took a gap year in 2024 to concentrate on her sports. She dominated the women's F38 discus at the Paralympics, breaking the Paralympic record and winning South Africa's second gold medal with a throw of 38.70m.
"I am currently studying at the University of Stellenbosch. It is not easy to study and be a full-time athlete, but we are making the best of the year. I enjoy studying at Stellenbosch."
The Maties athlete tells Eyewitness News that she hopes to defend her title and possibly break a world record at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships, which will take place in September in New Delhi, India.
In May 2024, she 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.
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 began competing in discus competitions and won most of them, thus building self-confidence.
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.