Gouws to add long jump to her items ahead of the 2024 Paralympic Games

Liezel Gouws, a North-West University (NWU) graduate who has represented South Africa at two Paralympic Games and four Para Athletics World Championships in the T37-category in 400m and 100m, will also be focusing on the long jump this season as she prepares for her third Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024.

Gouws recently returned home with a 5th position in the 400m, and a 7th place in the final of the 100m at the 2023 Para Athletics World Championships in Paris, where she achieved personal best times in both items.

Gouws, who sustained an injury when she competed in the long jump before the championship, says she is excited to tackle the item again.

“It was something that my body was not used to, so I had to adapt to the new physical activity and the extra load it put on my body,” she said.

Her coach of the last three years, Olympic athlete and Commonwealth gold medalist Shaun Bownes, is upbeat about the new item she is taking on.

“Liezel is a dynamic person and such a go-getter. She is always up for the challenge, even as the long jump took its toll [on her earlier]. We are both very excited for the upcoming season,” he said.

Competing in the recent Para Athletics World Championship was another highlight for Gouws, who has been an athlete for the past 10 years.

“It was a privilege to represent my country… It was also a good way to evaluate what worked and what didn’t,” she said.

She suffered a stroke when she was five years old. Since then, she has been determined to overcome the physical challenges of being a right-side paraplegic and having cerebral palsy.

Her accomplishments include finishing 4th at the Women’s 400m final at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in France. She also finished 7th at the 400m finals and 8th at the 100m finals in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

At the 2017 World Para Athletics World Championships in London she came 5th in the 200m, as well as in the 100m finals. She also finished 7th at the 400 m finals at the 2019 Dubai Para Athletics World Championships and 4th at the 400m final at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Gouws and Bownes now have a strategic plan for her on how to execute each 100m in the 400m event.

“Even though I can’t control the outcome of the race, I can control how I execute what I practiced, however it does not always go as planned,” Gouws said, referring to her most recent race in Paris.

“I wouldn’t say it was a perfect 400m, but I am happy with how I executed it, although there are definite areas for improvement.” 

According to Gouws, there are different challenges and obstacles leading up to every competition. Being physically and mentally prepared for the task is vital.

“The most important thing is to grow after each event. The paralympics represent movement, and when movement is available, anything is possible. It doesn’t matter how you move, just as long as you’re moving forward,” she said.

For Gouws, moving forward means experimenting with a new item — the long jump.