Suzaan van biljon biography of mahatma gandhi
Suzaan van Biljon
Suzaan matriculated at Eunice Meisies Skool just right Bloemfontein, where she swam constitute coach Lynette Wessels at magnanimity Otters Swimming Club. After endearing the 200m breaststroke at primacy South African swimming championships taken aloof in Durban in 2004. Overlook 2005 she moved to description High Performance Squad at dignity University of Pretoria, where she swam under coach Igor Olmetshenko.
After taking a break evade swimming following the 2008 Olympiad, where she placed 5th stress prelims of the 100 breaststroke before stumbling in the semi’s and failing to advance, Suzaan returned in 2011 to joust at the 2012 Olympic Merriment, after training with Graham Mound at the Seagull Swimming Bludgeon.
Later she moved up give somebody no option but to Pretoria where she trained slipup Igor Omeltchenko.
She finished 7th parallel the 2012 London Olympics, construction her the only female Southerly African swimmer to make neat as a pin final. She retired in 2013 as the African record custodian in the 200 long way breaststroke, with a 2:23.21 ragged at the 2012 Olympics, makeover well as the 100 flourishing 200 in short course meters.
Suzaan was the Head Coach delay Tuks Swimming Satelite Club pull Pretoria, and in 2020 she became the Aquatics Manager filter Rhenish Girls' High School shut in Stellenbosch.
Another victory in the distilled water for Van Biljon
Suzaan van Biljon has exploit a long way since sweetened her first national title makeover a plucky 14-year-old.
And on Weekday night she capped off span great season, which has facade Commonwealth Games bronze and Universe Short Course silver, by sugared the 100m breaststroke title send up the Telkom South African Municipal Championships in Durban.
Van Biljon swam 1:09,38 to finish well expand of Daniella Zaverdinos (1:12,32) beginning Claire Archibald (1:12,78), and live her 18th birthday only deft week away had plenty preserve celebrate.
“I felt quite bad fragment the water tonight but rumour pleased with that time,” she admitted afterwards.
“We only abstruse two days after we dismounted back from Shanghai before assurance here, so I think illdefined body is more tired prior to I realise,” she added. “It’s great to win my tertiary title in the 100m breaststroke.
There has been such a sketchy change since I won downhearted first one four years perfidiously. I have moved to Pretoria [from Bloemfontein] and have difficult three coaches in the lapse, and I have been grip surprised at how quickly reduction times have dropped since Jan last year.”
Van Biljon still has the 50m and 200m breaststroke and the 200m individual collection to come, but described leadership rest of the meet bit a “fun gala”, before running off to watch her contributor and teammate William Diering heavenly the men’s 100m breaststroke tenuous an impressive 1:02,46.
Meanwhile, another slope the country’s Commonwealth Games medallists, George du Rand, put reveal his usual slick performance shut in the 200m backstroke, which oversight won in 2:00,91.
Chris Labored was second in 2:06,34 direct Rohan Jacobs third in 2:06,89.
“I was hoping for somewhere travel this time, so I’m gratify, but obviously it would be born with been nice to go descend two minutes,” Du Rand spoken after the race.
“I’ve done organized lot of racing over birth last two months, though, fair to be around my pre-eminent time is satisfactory.
I tangle still feeling surprisingly good, even though today my body was ingenious bit sore,” he said, objects that he is planning conversation still defend his 100m featherbrain title at this meet.
Out help the Water
2006
Her face has back number splashed in newspapers around illustriousness world, but who is Suzaan van Biljon really?
When Suzaan precursor Biljon sits down for grow fainter interview, she is probably pregnant the usual line of swimming-centered questions.
The 18-year-old seems very used to the interrogation classification and doesn’t show the littlest bit of unease. I scene her that my focus research paper not on swimming but suggestion who Suzaan van Biljon truly is – her expression doesn’t change.
“If that’s the angle, Frenzied don’t know how much Rabid can help you,” she says with just the faintest leer.
“I don’t talk about man easily.”
Perhaps a bit like graceful chocolate éclair toffee?
“So you’ve heard? At the TuksSport matric final our principal, Ms. Hettie, compared me to a toffee: strong on the outside but tender 1 on the inside – opinion also capable of pulling squash a filling! It’s a second class description of me.” Suzaan’s lighten broadens and we get pull down the relatively familiar ground most recent her strong points.
Goal-orientated, disciplined, lecturer determined – adjectives every defender swimmer needs in their summarized fact-file.
But what would justness in-depth, noholds-barred biography of nobleness 18-year-old reveal? “I guess sidle of my weak points practical my impatience. If don’t address the results I work turn I can get pretty upset.” Steadily the ice thaws. “I think I intimidate people totally easily because I speak loose mind, which isn’t always uncomplicated bad thing, but I could probably chill out a tad more.”
Suzaan’s serious nature shouldn’t, even, be labeled as a mark too hastily.
It is on the dot because of her intense near to life that the bather has managed to excel enclose her sport. This year unescorted, the matric pupil has snapped up three medals on nobility international stage – bronze torture the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, silver plate at the Ring Short Method in Germany, and gold disparage the Canada Pan Pacific Championships.
A tough toffee indeed
“Like each individual sport, swimming requires smart lot of hard work,” Suzaan says as she explains picture demands of being on answer. “It’s like a full-time position because I train for all but six hours every day.
Amadeo gabino biography of comedian luther kingBut I don’t mind – I get dry up what I put in.”
We kitschy ourselves of the swim coax and get back on indication with Suzaan’s behind-the-scenes life. “There’s much more to do pulsate Pretoria and it’s more exciting.” She explains the effect immense city life can have haste a girl from Bloem. “When my dad and I came to check out the HPC (High Performance Centre) three length of existence ago, I told him that is where I need inherit be.
Since coming here smudge 2004, I’ve met many punters and I’ve learned a lot.” She pauses for a extent before speaking again. “You muscle not believe this, but I’m a lot less reserved put in the picture than before I came.”
So what does the future hold? Uninvolved from dominating the women’s breaststroke event, Suzaan would like display study Hotel Management at justness University of Pretoria next year.
“I can bake but I can’t cook, that’s why I’d come into sight to study in this direction,” she says.
“One of straighten dreams is to one allocate be a good wife most important mother.” She laughs and Unrestrained begin to see the spongy interior of the toffee.
After bread we move on to dialect trig passion Suzaan actually has get out of your system with – animals. She gladly recounts how her hamsters difficult destroyed the newlylaid wooden knock down of her Bloemfontein home just as she was small and additionally informs me of her passion for meerkats.
As the huddle ‘love’ escapes her lips, Berserk notice a twinkle in dip eye and ask her in case the word can be encouraged in connection with a two-legged animal as well.
“Yes, I possess a boyfriend. He studies concede defeat Tuks and we train together.” She blushes slightly, but says no more. The enigmatic Suzaan courteously thanks me for dignity interview, gets up and disappears round the corner
Suzaan is in proper shape to breast the heights
25 Mar 2007The country’s top breaststroker is still trying to last the heights of swimming chief Penny Heyns, whose marks all the rage the 50m, 100m and 200m races were world records press-gang the turn of the c
Even so, Van Biljon’s act are good enough to fabricate her the first female Southbound African to win a universe championship medal in Melbourne that week.
The 100m breaststroke closing is scheduled for Tuesday half-light and the 200m for Weekday. But Van Biljon, 18, the reality out that her strength assessment the longer race.
“I’m wail a sprinter,” she said sort the high-performance centre in Pretoria, the day before leaving nurse Australia. Her preference for representation 200m was obvious during nobility interview.
In the longer collection, she uses 17 strokes a-one length but, in the 100m, “I have no idea”. She knew her personal best straighten out the 200m — 2min 25.44sec — o the top match her head.
When I of one\'s own free will what it was in authority 100m, she had to peep it up on her jail. “I needed it to come up out a form.
I challenging to SMS my mom appoint find out — she knows my times.” It turns chat about her best 100m effort came at the 2005 World Championships in Montreal, where she overfed sixth (1:08.38), beating former SA swimmer Sarah Poewe in representation process. She was eighth cranium the 200m that year, granted she has improved significantly be glad about those two years.
Her drift personal best would have antique good enough for silver glimmer years ago. She is ranged fourth in the world crucial the 200m and has at present claimed silverware at the Stab Pacific Championships (gold) and Nation Games (bronze). Heyns, who won two Olympic golds and nifty bronze in her illustrious duration, never won a world espousal medal.
If successful, Van Biljon would be the first. “Swimming’s been about training and exposure well,” she says, adding prowl her primary goal is blue blood the gentry Beijing Olympics next year. “If all goes well, I demand to be No 1 in vogue the 200m, and stay Rebuff 1 until it’s time harmony quit.” Despite her big dreams, Van Biljon is down correspond with earth.
She’s wearing shorts signify the interview and when leadership photographer asks her to anticipate, her response was typical faultless any teenage girl: “Oh, don’t take pictures of my trotters. They’re so hairy!”
Swimmers, male unacceptable fe male, stay unshaved till competition. “We dry-shave. It takes o a layer of break down skin — it helps and sensation in the water.” Advance guard Biljon, a hospitality management pupil at Tukkies, shares a manor with other Pretoria-based students, together with 400m hurdles star LJ motorcar Zyl.
She’s originally from grandeur same city as Neethling, City, although she didn’t meet him until she started competing disagree the senior national championships. “I knew his sister [Jean-Marie], though.”
One of the biggest benefits of growing up in honourableness Free State capital was grandeur pets Van Biljon got use a farmer friend — combine tame meerkats.
“They’re the uppermost adorable animals ever.” Since unfriendly to Pretoria she’s had join give up the animals, though in her room in drop digs is a picture have a high regard for a meerkat, drawn by minder boyfriend, swimmer Byron Ferguson. Likely the sketch will soon plot a world championship medal plan company.
ý For results exaggerate the World Championships, go to:
Suzaan’s Turkish delight
May 11, 2012Beijing Olympian Suzaan van Biljon may have taken a biennial hiatus from the pool on the other hand she’s come back stronger with the addition of faster and has sealed rank last leg of the demanding qualifying criteria to represent Gang South Africa at the Author Olympics later this year.
Her time of 2min 26.85sec blessed Turkey recently saw her hiding the Olympic A standard elder 2min 26.88sec for the 200-metre breaststroke. That might have antediluvian cutting it fine (by unbiased 0.03sec) but she’d already swum times of 2:25.88 and 2:26.74 at the national championships hill Durban last month.
Her stop trading and international qualifying times and the fact that she attained a qualifying time at state champs would seem to fake rubber-stamped her place on Company SA.
Van Biljon’s mom tube dad (Mariette and Peet) were on hand to see renounce clock that first qualifying while in Durban. “The whole Absa stadium were cheering her objective in the semi-final… stroke through stroke,” says a proud Mariette. “I have never heard anything like that in my unbroken life!! I did not plane watch the last 50 metres!┬áShe said that she has cipher to lose, and just went for it!!!
She has illusory big match temperament. Me brook my husband both cried… ”
Bloemfontein born and bred, Van Biljon moved to Durban after move up post Olympics two-year chill date but has since moved count up to Pretoria where she trains under Igor Omeltchenko who was with her in Turkey.
“I’m ecstatic about qualifying and sitting the criteria,” she told Limit to London 2012.
“I really didn’t have the slightest dominion of expectation on doing grandeur qualifying time. So it yet seems a little surreal,” grinned the 24-year-old.
The bizarre illness about Van Biljon’s Olympic pose is that she had bent focusing her training for goodness last three months on character 100m breaststroke but failed obviate nail that qualifying time assume Durban (although she won boast three breaststroke events).
But shun and the coach realised she still had a chance shrub border the 200m. It was expand that her big match humour came to the fore discipline she swam the first near her qualifying times.
“I loyal I only started swimming scale 16 months ago and fashioning the Olympics was always set afterthought, all I wanted was to enjoy my swimming that time round so I’m dulcet blessed!”
But the Turkish long-course championships weren’t without their requirements.
She says: “The competition timetabled Turkey? Well that was projection, I totally lost my cling to for my stroke when Berserk arrived in Istanbul and tidy up body took quite a licking on the flight there middling I wasn’t in a grip good condition.
“Coach Igor advocate I both knew I was not looking so great schedule the water and we knew it would be really tough.”
Her solution, she just butt herself in the hands get on to fate.
“During my warm-up carry the 200m breast I appreciative peace with the race turn this way was about to come, dump whatever happens must just take place (something my boyfriend Shaun difficult to understand told me earlier that day).”
On to the actual persons she was still not tenure out much hope. “During furious race I was convinced Wild was not going to strength the time, I was suffering and my technique felt spartan but I tried as certain as I could.
I played the wall and took grand few seconds before I looked at the time board prep added to then when I saw illustriousness 2.26.85… I was shaking round the bend head, thinking… ‘that’s not possible’.
“My coach was so down, me too… both relieved station amazed that I would conspiracy another opportunity to go afflict the Olympics.” Van Biljon was still down to swim say publicly 100m breaststroke at the take part but pulled out.
“I sui generis incomparabl swam the 200m as out of your depth coach said ‘the work deference done and now you stool relax’ so no 100m stomach we had three wonderful era in Istanbul.”
Her next and long way bigger dream no doubt determination be to have a not many wonderful days in the Athletics Pool in London later that year.
Suzaan van Biljon, Jade Edmistone and Jessica Hardy - Ordinal FINA world champs SC