Alexandra a future star in the making
Athletics
The progress made since her 2023 World School Sports Games gold medal has been encouraging.
Nearly 50 top schools and more than 1 000 athletes competed for top honours at the recent prestigious Curro Podium Grand Finale meeting in Gauteng.
Alexandra Scheepers (14) from Windhoek Gymnasium received the Best Junior Field Athlete award at the Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria.
It was her performance in the high jump that saw her being awarded in this elite competition. She easily cleared the bar not only to secure gold, but also set a new meeting record.
In the process, she set not one, but two records adding the long jump record for girls under 15 to her résumé. She soared over the bar at 1.75 metres and reached 5.87 in the long jump for two fresh entries in the record books.
Alexandra already started making history, but she is without a doubt an exciting prospect for the future as well. The Windhoek-born Scheepers became the first Namibian to win a gold medal in high jump during the 2023 World School Sports Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her victorious jump of 1.67 was her personal best at the time.
To make her performance at the Curro Podium Grand Finale even more spectacular is the fact that her winning height was better than the heights achieved by the u19 and u17 champions at the meeting. Mia Janse van Rensburg from Garsfontein won the u19 title with a jump of 1.70, while Anjé Bezuidenhout scooped gold in the u17 age group by clearing 1.73.
Alexandra believes that she got her exceptional talent from her parents, Gideon and Karin Scheepers, who both also excelled in athletics.
“My father was a pole vaulter, while my mother also showed a lot of promise during her athletics career. I started doing high jump four years ago and I enjoy it so much that I would love to keep on going until it is physically not possible anymore,” she said.
Scheepers is planning to study Sports Science and considers becoming a biokineticist. But for now, her next big meeting is the Namibian Schools Sports Union (NSSU)’s national championship set for 9-11 May, where she is aiming to go even higher to reach 1.80.
Orla Venter’s senior Namibian national high jump record (1.82 m), set in Gaborone, has not been challenged since 30 April 1993.
Scheepers’ training schedule is coordinated by Karina Theunissen (speed coach), Clifford Cloete (long jump) and Ruanda Janse van Vuuren (high jump).
Alexandra Scheepers (14) from Windhoek Gymnasium received the Best Junior Field Athlete award at the Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria.
It was her performance in the high jump that saw her being awarded in this elite competition. She easily cleared the bar not only to secure gold, but also set a new meeting record.
In the process, she set not one, but two records adding the long jump record for girls under 15 to her résumé. She soared over the bar at 1.75 metres and reached 5.87 in the long jump for two fresh entries in the record books.
Alexandra already started making history, but she is without a doubt an exciting prospect for the future as well. The Windhoek-born Scheepers became the first Namibian to win a gold medal in high jump during the 2023 World School Sports Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her victorious jump of 1.67 was her personal best at the time.
To make her performance at the Curro Podium Grand Finale even more spectacular is the fact that her winning height was better than the heights achieved by the u19 and u17 champions at the meeting. Mia Janse van Rensburg from Garsfontein won the u19 title with a jump of 1.70, while Anjé Bezuidenhout scooped gold in the u17 age group by clearing 1.73.
Alexandra believes that she got her exceptional talent from her parents, Gideon and Karin Scheepers, who both also excelled in athletics.
“My father was a pole vaulter, while my mother also showed a lot of promise during her athletics career. I started doing high jump four years ago and I enjoy it so much that I would love to keep on going until it is physically not possible anymore,” she said.
Scheepers is planning to study Sports Science and considers becoming a biokineticist. But for now, her next big meeting is the Namibian Schools Sports Union (NSSU)’s national championship set for 9-11 May, where she is aiming to go even higher to reach 1.80.
Orla Venter’s senior Namibian national high jump record (1.82 m), set in Gaborone, has not been challenged since 30 April 1993.
Scheepers’ training schedule is coordinated by Karina Theunissen (speed coach), Clifford Cloete (long jump) and Ruanda Janse van Vuuren (high jump).
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article