THEMBI KGATLANA
JERMAINE SEOPOSENGWE
HILTON LANGENHOVEN
KAYLIN SWART
CHESTER WILLIAMS
LEANDRA SMEDA
THE OLYMPIC STARS
Whether you are an athlete, an administrator, a technical staff member or even a fan, going to the Olympic Games is every sportsperson’s dream. That dream was realised by six current and former members of the UWC community when they took part in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympic and Paraplegic Games. Here we look at these high-flying stars: HILTON LANGENHOVEN: The Somerset West-born champion won gold in the long jump and silver in the 200m, contributing to South Africa’s 17 medals in the Paralympics. Having joined the UWC Athletics Club in 2014, he also took part in the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens and at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing.
LEANDRA SMEDA: Hailing from Velddrif in the West Coast, the versatile Smeda was part of the Banyana team that competed in the Rio Games. She was registered for the Postgraduate Diploma in Sport, Development and Peace in 2014, and has been central to the successes of the UWC Ladies football club.
CHESTER WILLIAMS: During the countdown to the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics, the Paarl-born Williams, head coach of the UWC Rugby Club, participated in the Olympic Torch Relay. Williams was one of the torch bearers, selected for their heroic and inspirational contributions to their communities.
JERMAINE SEOPOSENGWE: Born in Mitchell’s Plain, the striker was, shortly after completing the first year of her BCom Accounting degree at UWC, awarded a four-year scholarship to Stamford University in Alabama, US, to play for the Bulldogs while pursuing an undergraduate degree in business studies.
KAYLIN SWART: Originally from Port Elizabeth, Swart was doing a BA degree at UWC in 2013 when she won a four-year scholarship to the AIB College of Business in Des Moines, US, starting a degree in sport and event management in 2014. THEMBI KGATLANA: The Johannesburg-born striker was doing a BA in tourism management in 2015, but took a break to focus on a demanding football career as Banyana Banyana held long camps in preparation for the Olympic Games. She was initially on standby but was included in the team as a replacement for an injured teammate.
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