When we’ve watched Louzanne Coetzee we’ve all had the opportunity to do a little jig of joy, or shout of “y-e-s-s-s”, whether it be at the TV, on the track or on the side of the road.
Sunday at the Paralympics, the final day of Paris 2024, might not have been one of those celebratory moments for the versatile runner who had bagged two medals at Tokyo 2020 and also a bronze in the W11 1 500m here at the Stade de France.
In fact, there was more raw emotion than delight when she crossed the finish line of the women’s T12 marathon, signaling the end of Team SA’s campaign at the 2024 Paralympics.
Coetzee and her guide Claus Kempen ran under the arch in the spectacular Invalides with the clock above them showing 3:25.53. This made her the seventh-placed finisher and, if the truth be told, quite a way behind the extraordinary winner, Morocco’s Fatima El Idrissa, who produced a world record 2hr 48min 36sec.
But, when we might have expected the 31-year-old to announce her retirement after a glittering career and especially once we’d seen her take a few moments to compose herself, she said: “I don’t think I’m there yet. I don’t think I’m at the end. I’ll try and push for LA (2028 Games). So, it’s not the end of me.”
Which is good news for one of para-sport’s finest ambassadors.
In reflecting on her and Kempen’s journey along the 42.2km route around Paris, Coetzee said: “Like I also said, after the 1 500, this (marathon) is not what I prepared for. I did my last long run in November. I’m really just glad I could finish. It really started getting tough after about 24km because I’m not prepared for the road.
“It was just, you know, sticking to the pace and sticking through to the end and kind of just holding on. But I think with every marathon, you learn something new about yourself and today it was that I can do it no matter what.”
Kempen, who is the second of Coetzee’s guides at the Games – he and Estean Badenhorst (1500m) were also at her side in Tokyo – showered praise on Coetzee.
“Normal people go out and they do marathons for themselves and for maybe achieving something or getting onto the podium. But Louzanne did this marathon to sort of bring me along and a thank you for the training over the past three years. She didn’t need to do this.
“There were numerous times today where she could have said, now I’m hurting, this is not worthwhile. But she just said, ‘no, we will finish’. So I had immense respect for her before and now it’s even doubled, tripled after today.
“It was a tough, tough course. Hats off to especially to No 1 and two. I think the times are great for the sport.”
Coetzee said that through the pain she could hear the crowd and fed off the support.”A lot of people were shouting for South Africa. I was quite surprised. It was wonderful to have so many people screaming South Africa. It almost felt like a major marathon like a London or a Berlin.
“It also had a Tour de France feel. When we were close home the crowd hit those barriers, which was really cool. This felt like I was part of the Tour de France.”
In four years’ time it might well be a Tour of LA.
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