FAITH & COURAGE

Paralympic Games champion Anruné Weyers made her country and loved ones proud by ending her glittering career on a high

- LESEGO MKHIZE

SHE almost didn’t make it to Tokyo. Her hopes of taking part were hanging by a thread when she contracted Covid a few weeks before she was due to fly to the Paralympic Games.

But if ever there was a poster child for the vaccine, it’s Anruné Weyers. Her symptoms were quite severe and she struggled to breathe but because she was all jabbed up she didn’t have to be hospitalized.

And not only did the 28-year-old athlete make a full recovery in time to catch her flight, but she also went on to make South Africa proud by becoming the country’s first gold medallist of the 2020 Paralympic Games.

Weyers raised the national flag high when she won gold in the 400m T47 category (athletes with a below-the-elbow or wrist amputation or impairment) in a season’s best time of 56.05 seconds.

“I still get emotional when I remember that day,” she tells YOU. “It didn’t matter whether I won or not because being there and being able to experience that moment was enough.”

The event was Weyers’ third Paralympics – and her last.

Even though there’s no age limit to compete in the games, she believes it’s time to forge a new path. She said goodbye to the tournament she loves so much with a broad smile and her arms reaching for the sky when she finished fourth in the 200m T47. “It’s definitely my last Paralympic Games,” she said after her final race. “It’s special to just take in everything. I’m super excited for the youngsters coming up and smashing such incredible times because when you’re an athlete, the best sportsmanship you can show is to celebrate one another for your victories.”