[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Several student-athletes and external members of the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Sports for Students with Disabilities Club (SSD) recently competed in the South African Sports Association for the Physically Disabled (SASAPD) national championships, winning 23 medals. Of the total medal tally, UJ secured 12 gold, 10 silver and 1 bronze medals during the event with three athletes finishing in 5^th, 7^th, and 8^th positions. The competition took place in Cape Town from 17 to 22 March 2023.

At the event, Yane van der Merwe equaled the African Record and improved the South African Record in the women’s discuss F44. She threw a distance of 31,66m with a new personal best, thus winning two gold medals in discus and shotput.

Not to be outdone, Michelle Moganedi also threw a new personal best in the seated javelin with a distance of 12,44m, thus finishing in second place. She bagged two more silver medals in seated shotput and discus.

Club member, Pieter du Preez, walked away with 5 gold medals in the T51 races. Another club member, Tony Adesanya, added four silver medals to UJ in the same T51 race.

Recent Master’s graduate, Jacque Joubert, added a silver medal to UJ’s collection in the T12 event. Joubert also competed in a mix class 100m, finishing in 5^th position. Following in the footsteps of his UJ SSD teammates, Gift Shiburi achieved two new personal bests, finishing in 2^nd position in the discus event with a new personal best of 17,36m. He finished in 8^th position in javelin throw.

Christiaan Schultz finished in 7^th place in the mix class 100m for men’s open and in 2^nd place in long jump.

Kim Macdonald pushed herself to the limit, setting a new South African Record. She won gold medals in both long jump and 100m race for the women’s F64 open.

Adesanya won a gold medal for powerlifting in the 58.50kg category with three attempts of 75kg, 80kg, and 82kg.

Joubert is undefeated at the SASAPD national championship for the physical disabled. He won two medals in the 90kg male judo (individual event) and men’s open individual event.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”493959″ img_size=”medium”][vc_column_text]

Tony Adesanya

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Pieter du Preez

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Kim Macdonald

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Jacque Joubert

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Jacque Joubert – Judo

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Gift Shiburi

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Christiaan Schultz

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