Louzanne Coetzee Wins 1500m Bronze To Double Team Sa' Paralympic Medal Tally

Louzanne Coetzee doubled Team SAs medal tally at the 2024 Paralympics when she won the bronze medal in the 1500m at the Stade de France on Monday morning.

The race produced a world record for the T11 class with Ethiopias Yayesh Tesfaw taking gold in 4min 27.68sec.

Coetzee herself sliced five seconds off the time she had put up in winning silver in Tokyo and hit the line with her guide Estean Badenhorst in 435.49, a personal best in the fastest race ever run for T11 athletes.

The 31-year-old was a double medallist at Tokyo 2020 where she had earned the silver medal in the 1500m and the bronze in the marathon, highlighting her versatility. She again competes in the marathon on the final day of competition on Sunday, although offers full transparency in saying it was the 1500m that was the target for Paris.

Im super chuffed, the three-time Paralympian said afterwards. Estean has been such a great support throughout the year and since Tokyo and there has been so much support from family and friends. I really thought that we would get close to 440, but now were closer to 430 so Im not going to stop any time soon.