The high school finalist for the Paarl Post School Sports Star of the Year competition this month goes to Kiera-Lee Abrahams, a Grade 10 learner at La Rochelle Girls High School.
At the age of only 16 this young athlete has literally made leaps and bounds on the athletics track.
In junior school at Bastion Primary she already made her mark as a budding athlete setting not only Western Province junior long jump records for girls u-10, u-11 and u-12, but also setting a SA u-11 long jump record.
Kiera-Lee took part in her first SA Athletics Championship at the age of only 10. And the following year she won medals in both long jump and 100 m hurdles. In 2017 she made it to SA schools winning gold in the girls u-11 long jump.
And since then she has taken part in the SA Athletics Championships every year so far.
In 2020 just before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, she was first in long jump, hurdles and 200 m for girls u-16 at only the age 13.
In 2021 at ASA Juniors she won gold in the girls u-16 long jump and bronze in the medley relay.
This year she was second at SA Schools, third at ASA Juniors and placed 6th overall at the ASA Seniors as the youngest partaking athlete.
And her sporting talents don’t stop there. She is an avid hockey player and was in the WP Inter-provincial team in 2019, was selected in 2021 for the Boland u-16 and has just been selected for Boland.
Kiera-Lee says that Covid bought many challenges and very difficult to train.
“Before Covid we trained 4x a week as well as some Saturdays. But when Covid started it was difficult finding place to train and gym but I adjusted to it by doing a home programme and I received non-stop assistance, on-line training and motivation from all my coaches.”
Since her arrival at La Rochelle, she has been safely under the training wing of legendary Paarl athletics coaches André and Marna van der Burgh and Shaun September
Kiera-Lee is the youngest of four siblings and the only girl. She says she was “raised” by her three older brothers and they were always playing rugby and swimming. She says she is very proud of her family, especially her parents Ewen and Ofelia who support her unconditionally.
And as with most dedicated athletes, Kiera-Lee has set her sight on the Olympics, hoping that she will be included in the SA team to travel to the 2024 Paris Olympics. And she already talks of bringing home gold in long jump or hurdles.
She would also like to compete at the World IAAF Championships as well as the Common Wealth Games and indeed Olympics.
A role model for her is the young American hurdler Sydney McLaughlin, whom she would also like to compete against one day.
“I look up to her because of how she carries herself and how she’s a positive influence to many track girls wanting to go far in athletics. She is also strong in her faith and Christian like me. I thank God for every opportunity and for my talents I have.
And when Kiera-Lee is not in front of her school books or on the athletics track, she enjoys listening to music, surfing or hiking, or even just strolling through a mall with friends.
And once her school career is over, she is setting her sights on further study at university, either in SA or abroad, becoming a professional athlete and studying in a sports or nutrition direction.
“My parents have always told me there is a life after athletics, so I do intend finishing my studies at the same time also still compete and fulfil my athletics aspirations and goals,” she concludes.
