SPORT NEWS - The 13-year-old Isabeau Coetsee, a Grade Seven learner of Laerskool Park, Mossel Bay, delivered a phenomenal performance at the African Aquatics Zone IV Championships 2025 in eSwatini (formerly Swaziland).
She trains at the Garden Route Swim School (GRSS) in George, to where her parents drive her for her coaching sessions, and her hard work paid off with results that left coaches and teammates in awe.
Isabeau will start Grade Eight at Hoërskool Outeniqua in George next year.
At the championships, hosted at Enjabulweni Primary School in Manzini, Isabeau set four new meet records, added two Western Cape records and seven Eden records to her name, and walked away as the top female age group winner. Her medal tally was equally impressive: eight gold, three silver and two bronze medals.
Her coach, Dirco Nienaber of GRSS, says they found out about the event very late, and therefore had no high expectations. "She is a very competitive and technical swimmer, and every time she enters the water, I am in awe of what she is able to do," says Nienaber. "I am very proud of her growth and success as a person and a swimmer."
Isabeau describes the experience as unforgettable, saying she will remember that the SA team always supported each other in every race. "This was my first international competition, and I hope there are many more in the future. I feel privileged to have been chosen to represent South Africa, and I am grateful for the support of my coach, family and friends."
Isabeau set four new meet records, added two Western Cape records and seven Eden records to her name, and walked away as the top female age group winner.
Isabeau describes the experience as unforgettable.
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