South African paralympian Louzanne Coetzee begins her quest to upgrade her 2020 Tokyo Games 1500m T11 silver medal to gold at this year's Paralympics in Paris on Thursday when she races in the World Para Athletics Grand Prix Dubai leg.
Coetzee, who also brought home a bronze medal from the marathon in Tokyo, is excitedly anticipating the Games and says it is all systems go for the build up to the specracle set to take place in th French capital from August 28 to September 8.
"We are 100% focused on Paris.
Every single thing we do from here on in, is with the end goal in mind. We are building, thinking, learning and working towards a gold in due course – so exposure to this sort of event, with a like-minded field, is the name of the game for now," the athlete who was born blind explained.
Still in good shape
Though not expecting to be fully competitive this early in the season, the 30-year-old from Bloemfontein says she is in good shape.
"I am feeling very good – and look forward to the first leg in Dubai. I look forward to soaking it all in. we are not expecting top finishes in our 1500m event (tonight).”
Most important for Coetzee is how her guide Claus Kempen adapts to the new environment.
"Claus doesn’t typically run track with me, so exposure to him, and us learning to work together and peak is another goal we need to achieve.”
The new challenge excites Claus.
"I am normally Louzanne’s road running guide and this will be my first competition as her track guide. Because this is a new combination, we are not expecting any fireworks in terms of times – it’s all about preparation, absorbing and thriving on the pressure as others race around you. It’s about running strategically, and game day is always different to training days.”
Not that they will not be giving it their all, far from it for besides wanting to gain confidence in the build up to Paris, the duo want to impress their backers as well.
"We’ve worked hard and know what is expected of us both. With Profmed’s backing (the Medical giants are backing Coetzee on her PathtoParis) we can now focus wholeheartedly on the job at hand and the epic 2024 year that lies ahead: Personally I absolutely cannot wait!"