Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Youtube
TikTok
Biography
Impairment information
Type of Impairment
Vision impairment
Origin of Impairment
Congenital
Classification
T12, F12
Further personal information
Family
Wife Natasha, children Siya and Anele
Occupation
Athlete
Languages
Afrikaans, Xhosa, English
Higher education
Sports Management - ETA College: Cape Town, RSA
Sport specific information
When and where did you begin this sport?
He took up athletics at age eight at the Athlone School for the Blind in Cape Town, South Africa.
Why this sport?
He was inspired to pursue the sport after a pupil at Athlone School for the Blind qualified for the South Africa Paralympic team ahead of the 2000 Games in Sydney. "I was winning a lot at school and I found out that I could go faster when I trained, so I continued."
International debut
Year
2004
Competing for
South Africa
Tournament
Paralympic Games
Location
Athens, GRE
General interest
Hobbies
Supporting English football club Chelsea. (Twitter profile, 08 Mar 2021)
Memorable sporting achievement
Winning bronze in the T13 100m at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, which was his first medal at the Paralympic Games. (Trans World Sport YouTube, 26 Sep 2018; Athlete, 16 Jul 2017)
Most influential person in career
His family. (Athlete, 16 Jul 2017)
Hero / Idol
South African cricketer Jacques Kallis. (Athlete, 16 Jul 2017)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"Set a date and it becomes a goal. Until you set a date, it's a dream." (NPC, 06 Sep 2012)
Awards and honours
He was named the 2018 Sportsman of the Year with a Disability at the South Africa Sports Awards. (swimswam.com, 19 Nov 2018)
Impairment
His vision impairment is the result of toxoplasmosis. He was diagnosed with the condition at birth. (Trans World Sport YouTube channel, 26 Sep 2018; g-s-i.co.za, 01 Oct 2016; thenewage.co.za, 04 Sep 2012)
Other information
EARLY DAYS
He was born and raised in Guguletu, a township near Cape Town in South Africa. "For me athletics as a child was something fun because I could run, enjoy the day and continue the next day as if nothing happened. Sports can change somebody's life, not just in terms of going abroad or becoming famous. Some guys use sports to get away from their problems. You can find a lot of guys in townships that use drugs and join gangs, but many of them are able to get away from that by doing sports during the day." (Trans World Sport YouTube channel, 26 Sep 2018)
He was born and raised in Guguletu, a township near Cape Town in South Africa. "For me athletics as a child was something fun because I could run, enjoy the day and continue the next day as if nothing happened. Sports can change somebody's life, not just in terms of going abroad or becoming famous. Some guys use sports to get away from their problems. You can find a lot of guys in townships that use drugs and join gangs, but many of them are able to get away from that by doing sports during the day." (Trans World Sport YouTube channel, 26 Sep 2018)
Results
| Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 100 m T13 | Heat 2 | 6 | ||
| Men's Long Jump F13 | Final Round | 6 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 200 m T13 | Final Round | 8 | ||
| Men's 200 m T13 | Heat 1 | 3 | ||
| Men's 100 m T13 | Final Round | 5 | ||
| Men's 100 m T13 | Heat 1 | 4 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 400 m T13 | Final Round | 5 | ||
| Men's 400 m T13 | Heat 2 | 4 | ||
| Men's 200 m T13 | Final Round | 5 | ||
| Men's 200 m T13 | Heat 2 | 3 | ||
| Men's 100 m T13 | Final Round | 3 | ||
| Men's 100 m T13 | Heat 2 | 2 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 100 m T13 | Heat 2 | 2011-01-23 | 1 | |
| Men's 100 m T13 | Final | 2011-01-24 | 2 | |
| Men's 200 m T13 | Heat 1 | 2011-01-26 | 1 | |
| Men's 200 m T13 | Final | 2011-01-27 | 9999 | |
| Men's 400 m T13 | Heat 2 | 2011-01-28 | 3 | |
| Men's 400 m T13 | Final | 2011-01-29 | 4 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 100 m T13 | Heat 2 | 2012-08-31 | 1 | |
| Men's 100 m T13 | Final Round | 2012-09-01 | 3 | |
| Men's 200 m T13 | Heat 1 | 2012-09-06 | 1 | |
| Men's 200 m T13 | Final Round | 2012-09-07 | 6 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 200 m T13 | Semifinal 3 | 2013-07-20 | 3 | |
| Men's 200 m T13 | Final 1 | 2013-07-21 | 3 | |
| Men's 100 m T13 | Semifinal 1 | 2013-07-24 | 2 | |
| Men's 100 m T13 | Final 1 | 2013-07-25 | 2 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 100 m T12 | Heat 3 | 2015-10-22 | 3 | |
| Men's 100 m T12 | Semifinal 1 | 2015-10-22 | 9999 | |
| Men's 200 m T12 | Heat 1 | 2015-10-28 | 2 | |
| Men's 200 m T12 | Semifinal 2 | 2015-10-29 | 2 | |
| Men's 200 m T12 | Final 1 | 2015-10-29 | 2 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 100 m T12 | Heat 3 | 2016-09-14 | 1 | |
| Men's 100 m T12 | Final Round | 2016-09-15 | 2 | |
| Men's 200 m T12 | Heat 2 | 2016-09-16 | 3 | |
| Men's 200 m T12 | Heat 2 | 2016-09-17 | 3 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 100 m T12 | Heat 4 | 2017-07-14 | 2 | |
| Men's 100 m T12 | Final 1 | 2017-07-15 | 2 | |
| Men's 100 m T12 | Semifinal 2 | 2017-07-15 | 2 | |
| Men's 200 m T12 | Heat 2 | 2017-07-19 | 9 | |
| Men's 200 m T12 | Semifinal 1 | 2017-07-20 | 8 |
