Women in Sport: Golden girl Hestrie aimed high

One of the best athletes South Africa has produced in any sport, former high jumper Hestrie Els will be best remembered for two things: her stunning double at the World Championships and her unique style.

It may not have been the most intimidating approach, but Els’ opponents knew she was in the zone when she visualised her jumps with hand motions and a shoulder lift.

And shortly before launching herself into the air, her windmill arm motion managed to propel her over the bar more often than not.

At her peak, her nearly comical approach endeared her to sports fans back home, and with the results to go with it, she became a household name.

Born in Germiston and raised in the small town of Coligny in the North West, Els began training under long-time coach Martin Marx while attending Lichtenburg High School.

Standing at 1.85m and possessing remarkable agility, she soon excelled in the high jump discipline.

In 1995 she won gold at the All Africa Games in Harare, securing her first international senior title at the age of 17, and the following year she finished sixth at the World Junior Championships in Sydney.

Her biggest breakthrough came four years later when she became the third South African woman to clear two metres.

Sailing over the bar at 2.04m, she added three centimetres to the national record of 2.01m which had been held by Desire du Plessis for 13 years.

Her impressive performances in 1999 set her up well as she raised her own standard, and Els lined up among the medal contenders at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Though she narrowly missed out to Russian winner Yelena Yelesina on count back, she displayed big match temperament to grab the silver medal, with bothathletes clearing the bar at 2.01m.

Over the next few years, Els went on to establish herself as a global star.

After clinching gold at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, she successfully defended her world title at the biennial showpiece in Paris two years later, setting a new African record to win comfortably with a 2.06m effort.

“That was the best day of my life. The weather was perfect and my run-up was great,” Els told World Athletics.

“Everything just felt like it was set up for me.

“Looking back, I still get butterflies thinking about it.”

Eager to add an Olympic crown to her two world titles, Els was among the favourites at the 2004 Athens Games.

Again she missed out on gold, however, and though she grabbed another silver medal behind Russian athlete Yelena Slesarenko, the Olympic title would be the one gold medal to elude her throughout her illustrious career.

Soon afterwards, having won the 2004 African title in Brazzaville, Els retired from competitive athletics at the age of 26.

“I always said I would like to retire on a high note,” she said, looking back on her decision.

Aside from her four medals at major global championships, Els ended her career with two Commonwealth Games titles, two All Africa Games gold medals and three African Championships titles.

She was the first (and remains the only) SA athlete to receive the most prestigious award in international track and field, after being named IAAF Woman Athlete-of-the-Year in 2003.

Els also received the Order of Ikhamanga honour in silver for “excellentachievement in athletics”.

Born as Hestrie Storbeck, Els competed for most of her elite career as Hestrie Cloete.

In 2005, however, she divorced her first husband Andries Cloete and married singer Jurie Els.

In 2008 she moved to New Zealand where she still lives with Jurie and their two children Chrizette (13) and Jason (11).

Now 41, she has worked as a preschool teacher in Silverdale, just outside Auckland, in recent years.

And while she may no longer be in the public eye, after settling abroad, the performances Els produced during her spectacular career have not been forgotten.

These days she enjoys recalling those fond memories, in particular her record-breaking victory at the 2003 World Championships, when she had the large Paris crown on its feet.

“It was such an amazing feeling to be so high in the sky and not touch the bar. It was the time of my life.”

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