Amanzimtoti High School honoured its most famous and highest achieving old girl when it renamed the school’s swimming pool after Olympic gold medallist Penny Heyns at a function on Friday, 26 February.
Penny, who was head girl at Toti High in 1992, is the only woman in the history of the Olympic Games to have won both the 100m and 200m breaststroke events, when she competed at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.
She also broke both the world records at the Games and has held more breaststroke world records than any other swimmer, male or female, with her tally of 14.
She broke her first world record, the 100m breaststroke, in Durban in March 1996.
During the 1998 Goodwill Games in New York, she set the 50m breaststroke world record.
In 1999, she set a spate of 11 world records in three months, swimming at events on three different continents. This made her the simultaneous holder of five out of the possible six breaststroke world records, a feat that had never been achieved before in the history of swimming.
Penny was an ordinary schoolgirl who did extraordinary things
She was named by Swimming World magazine as the female world swimmer of the year in 1996 and 1999.
She was also a member of the South African Olympic team at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney where she won a bronze medal in the 100m breaststroke.
She also holds every swiming record at Toti High, bar the 50m butterfly, which is held by her close friend Lisa Schravesande.
“Penny was an ordinary schoolgirl who did extraordinary things,” said principal, Louise Lemmer, who taught Penny Afrikaans and is the only high school teacher on record who gave the famous swimmer both a hiding and detention.
“She was unassuming about all her achievements and it became the norm for Penny to break all the school records. She never settled for second best. She was an exceptional leader who led by example.
She is in the South Africa and Africa Hall of Fame, as well as the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Amanzimtoti High School has always been and will always be immensely proud of you.
We were honoured to have you here today and honoured to rename the pool after you.”
Penny makes no secret of the positive influence her alma mater and teachers had on her.
“I believe you are a product of your background. Amanzimtoti gave me the grounding I needed and it is the greatest school in the world,” she said.
“It laid the foundation in me and nothing can be achieved unless you have a foundation.
Amanzimtoti gave me the grounding I needed and it is the greatest school in the world
My time at the school was enjoyable – I loved school. It was one of the greatest times of my life.
It taught me to value perseverance and hard work. It also taught me you need patience to achieve your goals.
Setting goals is the key to success,” she told the assembled pupils.
“Thanks to Mrs Lemmer, my coach Graham Smith, my dad and my greatest mentor Zelda van Vuuren, my business partner. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
One of Penny’s first coaches, Graham was invited to say a few words about Penny at the function and he summed up how Toti feels about its swimming sensation: “You are simply the greatest”.
