KEIRA van Heerden, a Grade 6 learner at Collegiate Junior School and talented athlete, is on the fast track to success.
She has competed in several biathle world championships. It is one of the development sports of the Olympic sport, modern pentathlon.
Keira van Heerden shows off some of her medals. Photo:SUPPLIED
So far this year, Keira has achieved the following:
- Breaking two school swimming records in the 50m breaststroke and 100m individual medley for girls u/12, and winning the best u/12 swimmer, best breaststroke swimmer, best butterfly swimmer and victrix ludorum for most senior points awards at the Collegiate Junior Inter-House Gala on January 18;
- Winning the best U/12 girl nipper and victrix ludorum awards at the Nippers Plett Carnival on January 26 and 27 (lifesaving);
- Being chosen for Collegiate’s u/13A water polo team;
- Winning the u/11 girls’ event and breaking the provincial and South African records at the EP Biathlon Championships on February 20;
- Winning five gold medals at the SA Nipper Surf and Pool Championships from March 25 to 28, being part of the obstacle pool relay team that broke the SA record in the 200m obstacle race, being named best u/12 surf nipper and winning the victrix ludorum trophy;
- Winning the u/11 girls’ competition at the SA Biathlon Championships on March 30, being named the new SA u/11 biathlon champion and breaking her own provincial and South African record that she set on February 20 with 26 points.
Keira will be competing at the SA Tetrathlon and Laser Run Championships in Gauteng from May 3 to 5. She is part of the South African Tetrathlon squad looking to compete at the Junior Olympics in Dakar, Senegal in 2022.
Keira does her swimming training with Mark Edge at PEA, her running with Leonardo de Villiers and Jessi Heatley, and her fencing training with Jon-Paul and Jessica Raper.
