New U20 javelin record

University of Johannesburg (UJ) student-athlete Yane van der Merwe continued to shine in her young career when she set a new U20 javelin record at the South African championships in Germiston.

The 19-year-old para field athlete competed in the F44 class and threw the javelin a distance of 26.56 metres to claim the gold medal.

She added a bronze medal in the shot put mixed competition, and is looking forward to competing in the World Para Athletics Junior Championships in Switzerland at the beginning of August.

Born with a club foot which severely limits her movement, van der Merwe grew up in Trichardt in Mpumalanga, but now lives on campus in Auckland Park. She is in her first year of a BA Sports Development degree.

Her interest in athletics was sparked by a conversation with a friend who she trained with.

“After she told my mother and me about it, we did some research and I began competing in para athletics towards the end of 2016,” said van der Merwe.

“The class F44 means that you have a joint below the knee that does not function properly.

“For me it is my right ankle as I have only a minimum degree of function, meaning I cannot move my ankle in any way.”

Van der Merwe immediately revealed her potential by winning the U18 girls javelin event at the para athletics national championships in Port Elizabeth in 2017, and since then has gone on to win a string of medals.

The highlight of her career, she said, came at the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation World Games in 2017 in Portugal.

She came home with a gold medal for javelin and a bronze medal for shot put, which she says has been her biggest achievement so far.

This year she has confirmed her standing in South African athletics, winning gold medals at the SA championships for the physically disabled in the javelin, shot put and discus events in Stellenbosch.

In the world para athletics rankings, van der Merwe is ranked second in the javelin, third in the shot put and fifth in the discus.

“I was really surprised when I broke my javelin record of last year after not throwing such a good distance at the champs earlier this year in Stellenbosch,” van der Merwe said.

“I was actually going for the discus record, especially after I just missed it last year.”

While she is proficient in three events, van der Merwe said the javelin was her favourite.

“I have been competing in javelin since I was 12 years old in Grade 6. I competed at school level against able-bodied competitors.”

She added that she had been blessed with a significant support group.

She said, “My family and friends, with all their support and love, have been very important, while UJ has given me the opportunity to follow my dreams.”

She said that she was now focused on trying to qualify for the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai in November, as well as next year’s Paralympic Games in Tokyo.