A Somerset West teenager is the only swimmer in South Africa that has been selected to represent the country at the first World Deaf Youth Games (WDYG), which will be held in Sao Paolo, Brazil, from Sunday 14 to Monday 22 January.
Kate Allwood is 14 years old and wears cochlear implants to hear clearly. However, the avid water baby is no stranger to swimming achievements, having successfully completed the Robben Island crossing twice with fellow classmates, first when she attended Somerset House in Grade 7 in 2021, (“Somerset House swimmers ready to brave the elements in swim”, DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette, 3 May 2021) and again under the banner of Somerset College in 2022.
“I am super ecstatic to finally be able to compete on the international stage and measure myself against athletes the world over,” Kate said excitedly during a practice-swim session. “I’ve focused previously on the Robben Island crossings and have continuously striven to improve my swimming, having participated in galas and national championships, and eventually the Deaf Sports Federation trials, which were held in Johannesburg in September.”
Her swimming coach, Clint le Sueur of Aquasharks, said: “Her times were excellent and she fell just a couple seconds short of the senior qualification times. This in itself is an indication of how brilliantly she has performed so far.
Le Sueur who started working with Kate in February earlier this year, further expressed feeling proud of the talented swimmer and her achievements.
“She’s always shown a desire and will to improve, and after making a mental shift to focus on swimming, her commitment has become unwavering, and she’s definitely headed in the right direction.”
For the past number of weeks she has received mentorship and training from Terence Parkin, a deaf swimmer who represented South Africa in the Olympic and Deaflympics Games, and the World Cup and Pan Pacific competitions. He is the Deaflympics’ most successful athlete since its inception in 1924. He has participated in five summer Deaflympics and earned an Olympic medal for the 200 m breaststroke in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
“There will always be room for improvement, but we also want Kate to enjoy this experience, take it all in and have fun. It’s an achievement in itself to be selected for this event, and the priority should be to get experience and enjoy.”
Brian Mfundo Mkhize, president of the South African Deaf Sports Federation, sent Kate well-wishes and congratulations in a letter. “This is the highest achievement in every sportsman and woman’s career, to represent one’s country at such a prestigious event, one that comes once in a lifetime for many athletes. Once again, we wish you all of the best with your preparations for the 2024 World Deaf Youth Games.”
Her mother Sarah said the family will join Kate at the games, but they will also enjoy a holiday in Brazil. They leave on Saturday30 December, and Parkin will join them on Saturday 13 January.
