Celebrating the rise of women in Sport who have flown and continue to fly the South African flag high both on domestic and international stages! featured here is Lara van Niekerk.
Lara van Niekerk is used to navigating tricky waters – in and out of the pool. The 20-year-old rising swimmer from Pretoria is the current African, Commonwealth, and South African record holder in the long course 50-metre breaststroke and the African and South African record holder in the short course 50-metre breaststroke.
Van Niekerk has represented South Africa in various international competitions, and competed in both individual and relay events, specialising in freestyle and butterfly strokes.
Lara never thought of taking part in any other sport, and got into swimming at a very early age when her parents decided that it is best for their daughter to recognize water safety.
Commonwealth Games double gold medalist Lara van Niekerk was the biggest winner at the GSport Awards earlier this week and she is grateful for the support that she has been receiving.
— SABC Sport (@SABC_Sport) September 17, 2022
✍🏽 #SABCSport's @Velile_Mnyandu
Read more ▶️ https://t.co/Dojj8jgGJz pic.twitter.com/CO7ae6ydBz
“My dad always used to say: if a kid is in trouble, they need to be able to swim themselves out of the trouble and ever since, I’ve just loved the water”, she once said.
In July this year, van Niekerk was bestowed with the prestigious Sportswoman of the Year by the Tshwane Sports Confederation for her dedication and hard work in the sport of swimming. Lara also took home the Ministers Excellence Award.
She attributes her success to her determination to keep on improving and her ability to overlook obstacles like the colder water she had to train in when load-shedding lowered the temperature of her swimming-pool.
Swimming dominated the South African Sports Awards ceremony at Sun City on Saturday night, with Lara van Niekerk picking up Sportswoman of the Year, Pieter Coetzé Sportsman of the Year and Rocco Meiring the Coach of the Year. https://t.co/1YE17p7FRF
— Times LIVE (@TimesLIVE) March 26, 2023
Under the mentorship of her swimming coach since she was eight years old, Lara shares a special connection with Eugene da Ponte, who has made a significant contribution in elevating her career.
“I’ve just loved swimming from the beginning and I’m a person who’s never satisfied. I always want my swim to be better than the previous one. So, I’m very excited for what the future holds.”
A 13-year-old Lara rose to prominence at the 2017 African Junior Championships in Cairo, Egypt – raking in four gold medals in her age group. The following year she highlighted her potential of winning four gold medals at the senior continental championships in Algiers.
Before long, Van Niekerk was considered a promising young swimmer winning continental titles at the age-group level, while she narrowly missed out on a medal at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Lara van Niekerk has qualified for the 50m breaststroke finals at the World Junior Championships. Setting a new Personal Best!
— gsport4girls (@gsport4girls) August 21, 2019
Well done, Lara!👏🙌🇿🇦#GoGirls #worldjuniors #worldjuniorchampionship
📸: The Cana Official pic.twitter.com/JxZUpZgpjM
Lara deserves more praise than she is willing to admit, having reached such lofty heights in her career amidst a host of setbacks, including having acute appendicitis, heel surgery, and lung infection.
She has also enhanced her influence on the swimming community immensely with each victory inside the pool, aspiring young athletes to look up to her as a role model and draw inspiration from her relentless pursuit of excellence.
Lara has also used her platform to advocate for the importance of physical fitness, especially among young people. She often visits local schools and sports clubs to share her experiences and inspire others to embrace an active lifestyle.
Her impact on the community extends far beyond the realm of swimming. Her determination, tenacity, and humility will pose her an exemplary figure in both the sports arena and daily life.
