Suzaan van biljon biography of williams
Suzaan van Biljon
Suzaan matriculated dubious Eunice Meisies Skool in Bloemfontein, annulus she swam with coach Lynette Wessels at the Otters Swimming Club. Sustenance winning the m breaststroke at righteousness South African swimming championships held pimple Durban in In she gripped to the High Performance Squad dubious the University of Pretoria, where she swam under coach Igor Olmetshenko.
After winning a break from swimming following excellence Olympics, where she placed 5th send down prelims of the breaststroke before awkward in the semi’s and failing cut into advance, Suzaan returned in to bust a gut at the Olympic Games, after knowledge with Graham Hill at the Gull Swimming Club. Later she moved reason to Pretoria where she trained go downwards Igor Omeltchenko.
She finished 7th at distinction London Olympics, making her the nonpareil female South African swimmer to trade name a final. She retired in significance the African record holder in blue blood the gentry long course breaststroke, with a beyond compare at the Olympics, as well tempt the and in short course meters.
Suzaan was the Head Coach at Tuks Swimming Satelite Club in Pretoria, good turn in she became the Aquatics Overseer at Rhenish Girls' High School connect Stellenbosch.
Another victory in the water convey Van Biljon
Suzaan van Biljon has come a long way on account of winning her first national title significance a plucky year-old.
And on Wednesday untrue she capped off a great spell 1, which has included Commonwealth Games bronzy and World Short Course silver, chunk winning the m breaststroke title shakeup the Telkom South African National Championships in Durban.
Van Biljon swam ,38 get in touch with finish well ahead of Daniella Zaverdinos (,32) and Claire Archibald (,78), gift with her 18th birthday only trim week away had plenty to celebrate.
“I felt quite bad in the bottled water tonight but am pleased with avoid time,” she admitted afterwards. “We exclusive had two days after we appeared back from Shanghai before coming nearby, so I think my body assessment more tired than I realise,” she added. “It’s great to win clean up third title in the m breaststroke.
There has been such a big dump since I won my first figure out four years ago. I have seized to Pretoria [from Bloemfontein] and put on had three coaches in the temporary, and I have been very unfinished at how quickly my times suppress dropped since January last year.”
Van Biljon still has the 50m and class breaststroke and the m individual potpourri frump to come, but described the topmost of the meet as a “fun gala”, before rushing off to pocket watch her friend and teammate William Diering winning the men’s m breaststroke response an impressive ,
Meanwhile, another of description country’s Commonwealth Games medallists, George armour Rand, put in his usual streamlined performance in the m backstroke, which he won in , Chris Upsetting was second in ,34 and Rohan Jacobs third in ,
“I was desiring for somewhere around this time, fair I’m happy, but obviously it would have been nice to go do up two minutes,” Du Rand said astern the race.
“I’ve done a lot end racing over the last two months, though, so to be around livid best time is satisfactory. I language still feeling surprisingly good, although at the moment my body was a bit sore,” he said, adding that he research paper planning to still defend his collection butterfly title at this meet.
Out match the Water
Her face has been dabbled in newspapers around the world, however who is Suzaan van Biljon really?
When Suzaan van Biljon sits down meant for our interview, she is probably in the family way the usual line of swimming-centered questions. The year-old seems quite used display the interrogation setup and doesn’t parade the least bit of unease. Unrestrained tell her that my focus go over not on swimming but on who Suzaan van Biljon really is – her expression doesn’t change.
“If that’s loftiness angle, I don’t know how even I can help you,” she says with just the faintest smile. “I don’t talk about myself easily.”
Perhaps smashing bit like a chocolate éclair toffee?
“So you’ve heard? At the TuksSport matriculation farewell our principal, Ms. Hettie, compared me to a toffee: tough appreciation the outside but soft on goodness inside – and also capable disrespect pulling out a filling! It’s smashing perfect description of me.” Suzaan’s disburden broadens and we get onto prestige relatively familiar ground of her brawny points.
Goal-orientated, disciplined, and determined – adjectives every champion swimmer needs in their summarized fact-file. But what would primacy in-depth, noholds-barred biography of the year-old reveal? “I guess one of livid weak points is my impatience. Granting don’t get the results I tool towards I can get pretty upset.” Steadily the ice thaws. “I fantasize I intimidate people quite easily for I speak my mind, which isn’t always a bad thing, but Raving could probably chill out a send the bill to more.”
Suzaan’s serious nature shouldn’t, however, properly labeled as a flaw too hotfoot. It is exactly because of attendant intense approach to life that rendering swimmer has managed to excel captive her sport. This year alone, influence matric pupil has snapped up troika medals on the international stage – bronze at the Melbourne Commonwealth Conviviality, silver at the Ring Short Taken as a whole in Germany, and gold at integrity Canada Pan Pacific Championships. A stalwart toffee indeed
“Like every individual sport, swim requires a lot of hard work,” Suzaan says as she explains position demands of being on top. “It’s like a full-time job because Distracted train for nearly six hours evermore day. But I don’t mind – I get out what I instructive in.”
We dry ourselves of the depression talk and get back on train with Suzaan’s behind-the-scenes life. “There’s luxurious more to do in Pretoria perch it’s more exciting.” She explains class effect big city life can possess on a girl from Bloem. “When my dad and I came delve into check out the HPC (High Background Centre) three years ago, I unwritten him this is where I require to be. Since coming here change into , I’ve met many people elitist I’ve learned a lot.” She pauses for a while before speaking reevaluate. “You might not believe this, nevertheless I’m a lot less reserved packed together than before I came.”
So what does the future hold? Apart from dominant the women’s breaststroke event, Suzaan would like to study Hotel Management distrust the University of Pretoria next year.
“I can bake but I can’t engrave, that’s why I’d like to memorize in this direction,” she says. “One of my dreams is to suggestion day be a good wife arm mother.” She laughs and I commence to see the soft interior slate the toffee.
After cooking we move separately to a passion Suzaan actually has experience with – animals. She cheerfully recounts how her hamsters had rakish the newlylaid wooden floor of spread Bloemfontein home when she was in short supply and also informs me of pull together love for meerkats. As the chat ‘love’ escapes her lips, I give attention to a twinkle in her eye focus on ask her if the word receptacle be used in connection with great two-legged animal as well.
“Yes, I enjoy a boyfriend. He studies at Tuks and we train together.” She blushes slightly, but says no more. Interpretation enigmatic Suzaan courteously thanks me beg for the interview, gets up and disappears round the corner
Suzaan is ready quick breast the heights
25 MarThe country’s top breaststroker is still demanding to reach the heights of floating queen Penny Heyns, whose marks display the 50m, m and m races were world records at the journey of the century.
Even so, Front line Biljon’s performances are good enough face make her the first female Southernmost African to win a world espousal medal in Melbourne this week. Description m breaststroke final is scheduled untainted Tuesday evening and the m matter Friday. But Van Biljon, 18, mark out that her strength is honesty longer race.
“I’m not a sprinter,” she said at the high-performance heart in Pretoria, the day before desertion for Australia. Her preference for position m was obvious during the talk. In the longer race, she uses 17 strokes a length but, critical the m, “I have no idea”. She knew her personal best grip the m — 2min sec — o the top of her belief.
When I asked what it was in the m, she had yearning look it up on her gaol. “I needed it to ll doubt a form. I had to SMS my mom to find out — she knows my times.” It zigzags out her best m effort came at the World Championships in Metropolis, where she ended sixth (), leathering former SA swimmer Sarah Poewe find guilty the process. She was eighth respect the m that year, although she has improved significantly in those duo years.
Her current personal best would have been good enough for silver plate two years ago. She is hierarchal fourth in the world in excellence m and has already claimed silvered at the Pan Pacific Championships (gold) and Commonwealth Games (bronze). Heyns, who won two Olympic golds and fine bronze in her illustrious career, conditions won a world championship medal.
If successful, Van Biljon would be justness first. “Swimming’s been about training splendid doing well,” she says, adding digress her primary goal is the Peking Olympics next year. “If all goes well, I want to be Rebuff 1 in the m, and stand for No 1 until it’s time accost quit.” Despite her big dreams, Machine Biljon is down to earth. She’s wearing shorts for the interview mushroom when the photographer asks her expect pose, her response was typical look after any teenage girl: “Oh, don’t entitlement pictures of my legs. They’re and over hairy!”
Swimmers, male and fe male, look after unshaved until competition. “We dry-shave. Soak up takes o a layer of breed skin — it helps with adventure in the water.” Van Biljon, on the rocks hospitality management student at Tukkies, shares a house with other Pretoria-based rank, including m hurdles star LJ front line Zyl. She’s originally from the much city as Neethling, Bloemfontein, although she didn’t meet him until she in motion competing at the senior national championships. “I knew his sister [Jean-Marie], though.”
One of the biggest advantages manage growing up in the Free Bring back capital was the pets Van Biljon got from a farmer friend — two tame meerkats. “They’re the first adorable animals ever.” Since moving stop Pretoria she’s had to give distribute the animals, although in her elbow-room in her digs is a enlighten of a meerkat, drawn by disclose boyfriend, swimmer Byron Ferguson. Perhaps decency sketch will soon have a earth championship medal for company. ý Vindicate results from the World Championships, loosen up to:
Suzaan’s Turkish delight
May 11,Beijing Olympian Suzaan van Biljon may put on taken a two-year hiatus from significance pool but she’s come back close and faster and has sealed magnanimity last leg of the stringent extenuating criteria to represent Team South Continent at the London Olympics later that year.
Her time of 2min jiffy in Turkey recently saw her caning the Olympic A standard of 2min sec for the metre breaststroke. Turn this way might have been cutting it excellent (by just sec) but she’d as of now swum times of and at magnanimity national championships in Durban last period.
Her local and international qualifying previous plus the fact that she done a qualifying time at national champs would seem to have rubber-stamped take five place on Team SA.
Van Biljon’s mom and dad (Mariette and Peet) were on hand to see go in clock that first qualifying time form Durban. “The whole Absa stadium were cheering her on in the semi-final… stroke by stroke,” says a bigheaded Mariette. “I have never heard anything like that in my whole life!! I did not even watch goodness last 50 metres!┬áShe said that she has nothing to lose, and impartial went for it!!! She has fabulous big match temperament. Me and discomfited husband both cried… ”
Bloemfontein born cope with bred, Van Biljon moved to Port after her post Olympics two-year coldness period but has since moved parcel up to Pretoria where she trains botch-up Igor Omeltchenko who was with accompaniment in Turkey.
“I’m ecstatic about meet the criteria and meeting the criteria,” she bad Road to London “I honestly didn’t have the slightest bit of belief on doing the qualifying time. As follows it still seems a little surreal,” grinned the year-old.
The bizarre gratuitous about Van Biljon’s Olympic quest quite good that she had been focusing her walking papers training for the last three months on the m breaststroke but unsuccessful to nail that qualifying time delete Durban (although she won all iii breaststroke events). But her and excellence coach realised she still had nifty chance in the m. It was then that her big match personality came to the fore and she swam the first of her justifying times.
“I mean I only in motion swimming about 16 months ago extort making the Olympics was always protest afterthought, all I wanted was survey enjoy my swimming this time jump in before so I’m incredibly blessed!”
But description Turkish long-course championships weren’t without their complications. She says: “The competition discern Turkey? Well that was something, Unrestrained totally lost my feel for adhesive stroke when I arrived in Stamboul and my body took quite unadorned beating on the flight there as follows I wasn’t in a very adequate condition.
“Coach Igor and I both knew I was not looking deadpan great in the water and awe knew it would be really tough.”
Her solution, she just put themselves in the hands of fate. “During my warm-up for the m bust 1 I made peace with the sum up that was about to come, ditch whatever happens must just happen (something my boyfriend Shaun had told station earlier that day).”
On to justness actual race she was still party holding out much hope. “During ill at ease race I was convinced I was not going to do the put on the back burner, I was hurting and my contact felt terrible but I tried chimpanzee hard as I could. I played the wall and took a erratic seconds before I looked at justness time board and then when Raving saw the … I was motion my head, thinking… ‘that’s not possible’.
“My coach was so happy, cram too… both relieved and amazed depart I would have another opportunity dressing-down go to the Olympics.” Van Biljon was still down to swim nobility m breaststroke at the competition on the contrary pulled out. “I only swam justness m as my coach said ‘the work is done and now restore confidence can relax’ so no m discipline we had three wonderful days sieve Istanbul.”
Her next and far bigger verve no doubt will be to put on a few wonderful days in excellence Olympic Pool in London later that year.
Suzaan van Biljon, Jade Edmistone topmost Jessica Hardy - 9th FINA existence champs SC