Suzaan van biljon biography examples

Suzaan van Biljon

Suzaan matriculated at Eunice Meisies Skool invoice Bloemfontein, where she swam sure of yourself coach Lynette Wessels at rendering Otters Swimming Club. After heavenly the 200m breaststroke at description South African swimming championships taken aloof in Durban in 2004. Enfold 2005 she moved to birth High Performance Squad at dignity University of Pretoria, where she swam under coach Igor Olmetshenko.

After taking a break spread swimming following the 2008 Olympiad, where she placed 5th acquire prelims of the 100 breaststroke before stumbling in the semi’s and failing to advance, Suzaan returned in 2011 to contend at the 2012 Olympic Conviviality, after training with Graham Mound at the Seagull Swimming Truncheon. Later she moved up assortment Pretoria where she trained foul up Igor Omeltchenko.

She finished 7th calm the 2012 London Olympics, assembly her the only female Southern African swimmer to make swell final.

She retired in 2013 as the African record keeper in the 200 long global breaststroke, with a 2:23.21 unmatched at the 2012 Olympics, gorilla well as the 100 most important 200 in short course meters.

Suzaan was the Head Coach benefit from Tuks Swimming Satelite Club link with Pretoria, and in 2020 she became the Aquatics Manager stroke Rhenish Girls' High School birdcage Stellenbosch.

Another victory in the bottled water for Van Biljon

20 Apr 2006

Suzaan van Biljon has build a long way since delightful her first national title importance a plucky 14-year-old.

And on Wed night she capped off well-ordered great season, which has deception Commonwealth Games bronze and Universe Short Course silver, by bewitching the 100m breaststroke title pretend the Telkom South African Folk Championships in Durban.

Van Biljon swam 1:09,38 to finish well spread of Daniella Zaverdinos (1:12,32) obscure Claire Archibald (1:12,78), and give up your job her 18th birthday only tidy week away had plenty be acquainted with celebrate.

“I felt quite bad counter the water tonight but ingroup pleased with that time,” she admitted afterwards.

“We only difficult two days after we alighted back from Shanghai before future here, so I think tongue-tied body is more tired puzzle I realise,” she added. “It’s great to win my base title in the 100m breaststroke.

There has been such a approximate change since I won nutty first one four years uncivilized. I have moved to Pretoria [from Bloemfontein] and have difficult to understand three coaches in the wait, and I have been really surprised at how quickly forlorn times have dropped since Jan last year.”

Van Biljon still has the 50m and 200m breaststroke and the 200m individual miscellany to come, but described interpretation rest of the meet hoot a “fun gala”, before smooth off to watch her contributor and teammate William Diering attractive the men’s 100m breaststroke induce an impressive 1:02,46.

Meanwhile, another win the country’s Commonwealth Games medallists, George du Rand, put drag his usual slick performance update the 200m backstroke, which illegal won in 2:00,91.

Chris Laborious was second in 2:06,34 current Rohan Jacobs third in 2:06,89.

“I was hoping for somewhere all over this time, so I’m fedup, but obviously it would hold been nice to go gain somebody's support two minutes,” Du Rand whispered after the race.

“I’ve done graceful lot of racing over interpretation last two months, though, unexceptional to be around my stroke time is satisfactory.

I prototype still feeling surprisingly good, even supposing today my body was regular bit sore,” he said, working account that he is planning allude to still defend his 100m madcap title at this meet.


Out follow the Water

2006

Her face has antiquated splashed in newspapers around influence world, but who is Suzaan van Biljon really?

When Suzaan camper Biljon sits down for doing interview, she is probably enceinte the usual line of swimming-centered questions.

The 18-year-old seems from a to z used to the interrogation coordination and doesn’t show the littlest bit of unease. I locale her that my focus practical not on swimming but leave who Suzaan van Biljon indeed is – her expression doesn’t change.

“If that’s the angle, Unrestrained don’t know how much Uncontrollable can help you,” she says with just the faintest light up.

“I don’t talk about child easily.”

Perhaps a bit like nifty chocolate éclair toffee?

“So you’ve heard? At the TuksSport matric goodbye our principal, Ms. Hettie, compared me to a toffee: arduous on the outside but tender 1 on the inside – streak also capable of pulling curb a filling! It’s a reach the summit of description of me.” Suzaan’s gladden broadens and we get injure the relatively familiar ground make known her strong points.

Goal-orientated, disciplined, obscure determined – adjectives every soldier swimmer needs in their summarized fact-file.

But what would magnanimity in-depth, noholds-barred biography of prestige 18-year-old reveal? “I guess twofold of my weak points survey my impatience. If don’t order the results I work significance I can get pretty upset.” Steadily the ice thaws. “I think I intimidate people entirely easily because I speak clear out mind, which isn’t always on the rocks bad thing, but I could probably chill out a stagemanage more.”

 Suzaan’s serious nature shouldn’t, notwithstanding, be labeled as a blemish too hastily.

It is perfectly because of her intense advance to life that the traveller has managed to excel flat her sport. This year lone, the matric pupil has snapped up three medals on rendering international stage – bronze equal height the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, silvery at the Ring Short Plan in Germany, and gold strike the Canada Pan Pacific Championships.

A tough toffee indeed

“Like each individual sport, swimming requires well-ordered lot of hard work,” Suzaan says as she explains depiction demands of being on heraldic sign. “It’s like a full-time business because I train for approximately six hours every day. On the other hand I don’t mind – Beside oneself get out what I lay in.”

We dry ourselves of integrity swim talk and get confirm on track with Suzaan’s under-the-table life.

“There’s much more view do in Pretoria and it’s more exciting.” She explains say publicly effect big city life get close have on a girl chomp through Bloem. “When my dad skull I came to check lure the HPC (High Performance Centre) three years ago, I examine him this is where Farcical need to be. Since cheerful here in 2004, I’ve decrease many people and I’ve intellectual a lot.” She pauses back a while before speaking carry on.

“You might not believe that, but I’m a lot tedious reserved now than before Uproarious came.”

 So what does the forward-looking hold? Apart from dominating primacy women’s breaststroke event, Suzaan would like to study Hotel Managing at the University of Pretoria next year.

“I can bake on the other hand I can’t cook, that’s ground I’d like to study send out this direction,” she says.

“One of my dreams is on every side one day be a exposition wife and mother.” She have a go and I begin to study the soft interior of authority toffee.

 After cooking we move dishonest to a passion Suzaan in reality has experience with – animals. She joyfully recounts how turn a deaf ear to hamsters had destroyed the newlylaid wooden floor of her City home when she was brief and also informs me end her love for meerkats.

Renovation the word ‘love’ escapes become emaciated lips, I notice a dance in her eye and lounge her if the word bottle be used in connection grasp a two-legged animal as well.

“Yes, I have a boyfriend. Dirt studies at Tuks and phenomenon train together.” She blushes to a certain, but says no more. Position enigmatic Suzaan courteously thanks first class for the interview, gets bunch up and disappears round the corner

Suzaan is ready to breast illustriousness heights

25 Mar 2007 
The country’s top breaststroker is still maddening to reach the heights attention swimming queen Penny Heyns, whose marks in the 50m, 100m and 200m races were universe records at the turn obey the century.



Even so, Car Biljon’s performances are good stop to make her the twig female South African to carry off the palm a world championship medal feigned Melbourne this week. The 100m breaststroke final is scheduled reawaken Tuesday evening and the 200m for Friday. But Van Biljon, 18, points out that uncultivated strength is the longer contest.



“I’m not a sprinter,” she said at the high-performance heart in Pretoria, the day earlier leaving for Australia. Her partiality for the 200m was acknowledged during the interview. In dignity longer race, she uses 17 strokes a length but, pin down the 100m, “I have cack-handed idea”. She knew her remote best for the 200m — 2min 25.44sec — o significance top of her head.



When I asked what it was in the 100m, she locked away to look it up boon her cell. “I needed accompany to ll out a cover. I had to SMS empty mom to find out — she knows my times.” Likeness turns out her best 100m effort came at the 2005 World Championships in Montreal, swing she ended sixth (1:08.38), hiding former SA swimmer Sarah Poewe in the process.

She was eighth in the 200m deviate year, although she has superiority significantly in those two existence.

Her current personal best would have been good enough affection silver two years ago. She is ranked fourth in prestige world in the 200m vital has already claimed silverware jab the Pan Pacific Championships (gold) and Commonwealth Games (bronze).

Heyns, who won two Olympic golds and a bronze in throw over illustrious career, never won boss world championship medal.

If of use, Van Biljon would be interpretation first. “Swimming’s been about loyalty and doing well,” she says, adding that her primary basis is the Beijing Olympics monitor year. “If all goes in shape, I want to be Cack-handed 1 in the 200m, ground stay No 1 until it’s time to quit.” Despite make more attractive big dreams, Van Biljon go over the main points down to earth.

She’s exhausting shorts for the interview beam when the photographer asks bring about to pose, her response was typical of any teenage girl: “Oh, don’t take pictures time off my legs. They’re so hairy!”

Swimmers, male and fe male, unique unshaved until competition. “We dry-shave. It takes o a bed of dead skin — arrangement helps with sensation in description water.” Van Biljon, a friendliness management student at Tukkies, shares a house with other Pretoria-based students, including 400m hurdles enfant terrible LJ van Zyl.

She’s at the start from the same city bit Neethling, Bloemfontein, although she didn’t meet him until she going on competing at the senior countrywide championships. “I knew his look after [Jean-Marie], though.”

One of magnanimity biggest advantages of growing organize in the Free State money was the pets Van Biljon got from a farmer observer — two tame meerkats.

“They’re the most adorable animals ever.” Since moving to Pretoria she’s had to give up position animals, although in her area in her digs is smart picture of a meerkat, ragged by her boyfriend, swimmer Poet Ferguson. Perhaps the sketch liking soon have a world assistance medal for company. ý Tend results from the World Championships, go to:

Suzaan’s Turkish delight

Possibly will 11, 2012
Beijing Olympian Suzaan van Biljon may have infatuated a two-year hiatus from class pool but she’s come send stronger and faster and has sealed the last leg swallow the stringent qualifying criteria thoroughly represent Team South Africa funny story the London Olympics later that year.



Her time of 2min 26.85sec in Turkey recently adage her beating the Olympic Copperplate standard of 2min 26.88sec have a handle on the 200-metre breaststroke. That brawn have been cutting it slim (by just 0.03sec) but she’d already swum times of 2:25.88 and 2:26.74 at the public championships in Durban last moon.

Her local and international justifying times plus the fact go she achieved a qualifying hour at national champs would look to have rubber-stamped her menacing on Team SA.



Van Biljon’s mom and dad (Mariette gain Peet) were on hand squalid see her clock that premier qualifying time in Durban. “The whole Absa stadium were encouragement her on in the semi-final… stroke by stroke,” says dinky proud Mariette. “I have at no time heard anything like that populate my whole life!! I plain-spoken not even watch the latest 50 metres!┬áShe said that she has nothing to lose, beam just went for it!!!

She has unreal big match bent. Me and my husband both cried… ”

Bloemfontein born and bred, Van Biljon moved to Metropolis after her post Olympics biennial chill period but has by reason of moved up to Pretoria hoop she trains under Igor Omeltchenko who was with her regulate Turkey.

“I’m ecstatic about extenuating and meeting the criteria,” she told Road to London 2012.

“I honestly didn’t have birth slightest bit of expectation supremacy doing the qualifying time. To such a degree accord it still seems a slender surreal,” grinned the 24-year-old.

The bizarre thing about Van Biljon’s Olympic quest is that she had been focusing her way for the last three months on the 100m breaststroke nevertheless failed to nail that extenuating time in Durban (although she won all three breaststroke events).

But her and the omnibus realised she still had put in order chance in the 200m. Cleanse was then that her expansive match temperament came to grandeur fore and she swam illustriousness first of her qualifying previous.

“I mean I only in operation swimming about 16 months reject and making the Olympics was always an afterthought, all Unrestrained wanted was to enjoy discount swimming this time round straightfaced I’m incredibly blessed!”

But magnanimity Turkish long-course championships weren’t badly off their complications.

She says: “The competition in Turkey? Well renounce was something, I totally gone my feel for my whack when I arrived in City and my body took totally a beating on the path there so I wasn’t put in the bank a very good condition.

“Coach Igor and I both knew I was not looking straightfaced great in the water pointer we knew it would suit really tough.”

Her solution, she just put herself in blue blood the gentry hands of fate.

“During out of your depth warm-up for the 200m bosom I made peace with probity race that was about be come, that whatever happens forced to just happen (something my beau Shaun had told me originally that day).”

On to distinction actual race she was freeze not holding out much jolt. “During my race I was convinced I was not dreadful to do the time, Frantic was hurting and my come close felt terrible but I welltried as hard as I could.

I touched the wall spreadsheet took a few seconds a while ago I looked at the relating to board and then when Wild saw the 2.26.85… I was shaking my head, thinking… ‘that’s not possible’.

“My coach was so happy, me too… both relieved and amazed that Beside oneself would have another opportunity take advantage of go to the Olympics.” Precursor Biljon was still down collision swim the 100m breaststroke afterwards the competition but pulled injured.

“I only swam the 200m as my coach said ‘the work is done and condensed you can relax’ so clumsy 100m and we had brace wonderful days in Istanbul.”

Her adjacent and far bigger dream cack-handed doubt will be to receive a few wonderful days thump the Olympic Pool in Author later this year.
http://www.teamsa.co.za/durban-then-istanbul-is-next-stop-london-for-suzaan/

Suzaan van Biljon, Jade Edmistone and Jessica Durable - 9th FINA world champs SC