Winning is the goal, but it is gratitude that drives Maties star para-athlete, Simoné Kruger.
She may be just 20 years old and a first year Sports Science (Biokinetics) student, but she is already a seasoned veteran at breaking world records and collecting medals.
In 2019, at just 14, she won silver at the World Para Athletics competition in Dubai for discus, setting a world record of 33.91m. In 2023, she followed this up at the World Championships in Paris with gold and another world record of 38.82m. To add to this, 2024 saw her set another record at the Summer Paralympics in Paris and grabbing another gold!
Records aside, Simoné has collected a few more prestigious titles: The 2025 Zanele Situ Trophy at the Winelands International Para Athletics Championships, and Athletics South Africa Athlete of the Year with a Disability.
In 2024 she was recognized as the top South African sports newsmaker for her global impact. Now she is not only nominated for a GSport Award but is also a contender in the South African Sports Awards 2025, which take place later this month at the Sun City Superbowl. She has been nominated in both the Sportswoman of the Year with a Disability and Youth/Junior Sport Star categories.
“I am just so grateful,” she says. “I have such a great support system. My parents paid for my first five competitions. My sister gives me so much support, and I am thankful for every small donation and sponsorship because this sport is expensive.
“I guess I want to perform at my best to show my gratitude – specially for my good genes: My dad and grandfather did shotput and discus; my sister was a talented netball player; and my mom excelled in high jump!”
Her father, Andries, has since moved to Cape Town from Pretoria ahead of the rest of the family to continue as a coach. But until then she says she has found extra support and family at Maties Sport’s High-Performance residence, Huis Neethling.
“I have made so many friends, and the residence helps so much because the athletes’ needs are a priority. They understand the demands of training, nutrition and studies, and make it easier for us.
“It has been a hard adjustment after school and then a gap year just focusing on athletics. I do manage to socialise but I’ve been competing at a high level almost all my life, so I got used to giving up on sleepovers, birthday parties and so on. I train six or seven times a week … if you want to play at this level, then you have no choice but to sacrifice something,” she says.
Fortunately, Simoné loves what she does and believes that the awards and accolades not only give her a boost for her hard work but also provide a platform to advocate for parasport.
“I had a stroke in the womb and was born with cerebral palsy, so I really do not know what ‘normal’ is,” she laughs. “I have impaired use of my right side and needed intense therapies and electric devices to learn to walk. So, I do understand the challenges and the journey to building confidence as a disabled person. Now I can open eyes, reshape perceptions and inspire others.”
So, where does one go from the top? “There’s always something else, some new challenge,” she says. “In September I am going to the World Athletics Championships in India – and I am now competing in shot put too. It’s going to be interesting because we don’t know how well I will cope. It’s very exciting,” she says, demonstrating her unbridled enthusiasm, positivity and fearlessness.
As for the future, Simoné believes that she has another 15 years of competition in her. And after that, who knows! “It would be amazing to bring biokinetics into parasport, or become a classifier… there are so many opportunities. Let’s see.”
