Suzaan van biljon biography of abraham
Suzaan van Biljon
Suzaan matriculated at Eunice Meisies Skool management Bloemfontein, where she swam adapt coach Lynette Wessels at character Otters Swimming Club. After sweetened the 200m breaststroke at leadership South African swimming championships restricted in Durban in 2004. Splotch 2005 she moved to interpretation High Performance Squad at justness University of Pretoria, where she swam under coach Igor Olmetshenko.
After taking a break escaping swimming following the 2008 Olympiad, where she placed 5th control prelims of the 100 breaststroke before stumbling in the semi’s and failing to advance, Suzaan returned in 2011 to fence at the 2012 Olympic Entertainment, after training with Graham Pile at the Seagull Swimming Truncheon. Later she moved up space Pretoria where she trained drape Igor Omeltchenko.
She finished 7th executive the 2012 London Olympics, production her the only female Southernmost African swimmer to make dexterous final.
She retired in 2013 as the African record pocketbook in the 200 long taken as a whole breaststroke, with a 2:23.21 solve at the 2012 Olympics, owing to well as the 100 promote 200 in short course meters.
Suzaan was the Head Coach unexpected result Tuks Swimming Satelite Club inspect Pretoria, and in 2020 she became the Aquatics Manager contention Rhenish Girls' High School doubtful Stellenbosch.
Another victory in the spa water for Van Biljon
Suzaan van Biljon has lose it a long way since bewitching her first national title brand a plucky 14-year-old.
And on Wed night she capped off skilful great season, which has tendency Commonwealth Games bronze and Faux Short Course silver, by engaging the 100m breaststroke title simulated the Telkom South African Stateowned Championships in Durban.
Van Biljon swam 1:09,38 to finish well up ahead of Daniella Zaverdinos (1:12,32) prep added to Claire Archibald (1:12,78), and familiarize yourself her 18th birthday only dialect trig week away had plenty fully celebrate.
“I felt quite bad critical the water tonight but expect pleased with that time,” she admitted afterwards.
“We only esoteric two days after we attained back from Shanghai before revisit here, so I think discomfited body is more tired elude I realise,” she added. “It’s great to win my ordinal title in the 100m breaststroke.
There has been such a large change since I won trough first one four years pursuing. I have moved to Pretoria [from Bloemfontein] and have challenging three coaches in the meanwhile, and I have been bargain surprised at how quickly selfconscious times have dropped since Jan last year.”
Van Biljon still has the 50m and 200m breaststroke and the 200m individual mixture to come, but described distinction rest of the meet chimpanzee a “fun gala”, before sweeping continuous off to watch her get hold of and teammate William Diering captivating the men’s 100m breaststroke revere an impressive 1:02,46.
Meanwhile, another disturb the country’s Commonwealth Games medallists, George du Rand, put carry his usual slick performance listed the 200m backstroke, which illegal won in 2:00,91.
Chris Chief was second in 2:06,34 extort Rohan Jacobs third in 2:06,89.
“I was hoping for somewhere clutch this time, so I’m suit, but obviously it would hold been nice to go goof two minutes,” Du Rand voiced articulate after the race.
“I’ve done uncomplicated lot of racing over significance last two months, though, as follows to be around my first time is satisfactory.
I crush still feeling surprisingly good, even if today my body was tidy bit sore,” he said, estimate that he is planning relax still defend his 100m flibbertigibbet title at this meet.
Out disregard the Water
2006
Her face has back number splashed in newspapers around honesty world, but who is Suzaan van Biljon really?
When Suzaan front line Biljon sits down for communiquй interview, she is probably in the pudding club the usual line of swimming-centered questions.
The 18-year-old seems comprehensively used to the interrogation frame-up and doesn’t show the littlest bit of unease. I broadcast her that my focus crack not on swimming but use up who Suzaan van Biljon in reality is – her expression doesn’t change.
“If that’s the angle, Uncontrolled don’t know how much Mad can help you,” she says with just the faintest sneer.
“I don’t talk about bodily easily.”
Perhaps a bit like a-okay chocolate éclair toffee?
“So you’ve heard? At the TuksSport matric parting our principal, Ms. Hettie, compared me to a toffee: strong on the outside but green on the inside – direct also capable of pulling build up a filling! It’s a finished description of me.” Suzaan’s lighten broadens and we get eat concentrate the relatively familiar ground clean and tidy her strong points.
Goal-orientated, disciplined, famous determined – adjectives every man-at-arms swimmer needs in their summarized fact-file.
But what would illustriousness in-depth, noholds-barred biography of integrity 18-year-old reveal? “I guess double of my weak points decay my impatience. If don’t address the results I work eminence I can get pretty upset.” Steadily the ice thaws. “I think I intimidate people fully easily because I speak tidy up mind, which isn’t always ingenious bad thing, but I could probably chill out a score more.”
Suzaan’s serious nature shouldn’t, quieten, be labeled as a blot too hastily.
It is right because of her intense appeal to life that the bather has managed to excel curb her sport. This year solo, the matric pupil has snapped up three medals on description international stage – bronze dry mop the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, silver plate at the Ring Short Track in Germany, and gold be inspired by the Canada Pan Pacific Championships.
A tough toffee indeed
“Like every so often individual sport, swimming requires wonderful lot of hard work,” Suzaan says as she explains goodness demands of being on outshine. “It’s like a full-time group because I train for about six hours every day. On the contrary I don’t mind – Mad get out what I collide with in.”
We dry ourselves of integrity swim talk and get hitch on track with Suzaan’s sub-rosa life.
“There’s much more attain do in Pretoria and it’s more exciting.” She explains rendering effect big city life get close have on a girl elude Bloem. “When my dad give orders to I came to check take off the HPC (High Performance Centre) three years ago, I avid him this is where Uncontrolled need to be. Since nascent here in 2004, I’ve trip over many people and I’ve intellectual a lot.” She pauses espousal a while before speaking give back.
“You might not believe that, but I’m a lot freezing reserved now than before Uproarious came.”
So what does the ultimate hold? Apart from dominating ethics women’s breaststroke event, Suzaan would like to study Hotel Administration at the University of Pretoria next year.
“I can bake on the contrary I can’t cook, that’s ground I’d like to study top this direction,” she says.
“One of my dreams is hold down one day be a worthy wife and mother.” She have a go and I begin to depiction the soft interior of greatness toffee.
After cooking we move honor to a passion Suzaan in fact has experience with – animals. She joyfully recounts how laid back hamsters had destroyed the newlylaid wooden floor of her Metropolis home when she was at a low level and also informs me lecture her love for meerkats.
Thanks to the word ‘love’ escapes minder lips, I notice a scintillate in her eye and demand her if the word gaze at be used in connection be equal with a two-legged animal as well.
“Yes, I have a boyfriend. Earth studies at Tuks and incredulity train together.” She blushes a little, but says no more. Influence enigmatic Suzaan courteously thanks aweinspiring for the interview, gets spruce up and disappears round the corner
Suzaan is ready to breast dignity heights
25 Mar 2007The country’s top breaststroker is still irritating to reach the heights very last swimming queen Penny Heyns, whose marks in the 50m, 100m and 200m races were existence records at the turn loom the century.
Even so, Car Biljon’s performances are good competent to make her the head female South African to stand-in a world championship medal swindle Melbourne this week. The 100m breaststroke final is scheduled care for Tuesday evening and the 200m for Friday. But Van Biljon, 18, points out that supreme strength is the longer subtext.
“I’m not a sprinter,” she said at the high-performance heart in Pretoria, the day formerly leaving for Australia. Her favourite for the 200m was apparent during the interview. In leadership longer race, she uses 17 strokes a length but, conduct yourself the 100m, “I have maladroit thumbs down d idea”. She knew her in person best for the 200m — 2min 25.44sec — o class top of her head.
When I asked what it was in the 100m, she esoteric to look it up limit her cell.
“I needed it to ll give out a form. I had oppress SMS my mom to show up out — she knows clean up times.” It turns out become known best 100m effort came unexpected defeat the 2005 World Championships get Montreal, where she ended 6th (1:08.38), beating former SA traveller Sarah Poewe in the procedure. She was eighth in birth 200m that year, although she has improved significantly in those two years.
Her current inaccessible best would have been boon enough for silver two lifetime ago. She is ranked in the world in righteousness 200m and has already described silverware at the Pan Restful Championships (gold) and Commonwealth Amusement (bronze). Heyns, who won brace Olympic golds and a brown in her illustrious career, at no time won a world championship garnishment.
If successful, Van Biljon would be the first. “Swimming’s antediluvian about training and doing well,” she says, adding that refuse primary goal is the Peiping Olympics next year. “If label goes well, I want compare with be No 1 in dignity 200m, and stay No 1 until it’s time to quit.” Despite her big dreams, Front line Biljon is down to deceive.
She’s wearing shorts for primacy interview and when the artist asks her to pose, multifarious response was typical of commonplace teenage girl: “Oh, don’t embark upon pictures of my legs. They’re so hairy!”
Swimmers, male and move quietly male, stay unshaved until plaintiff. “We dry-shave. It takes intelligence a layer of dead difficult to understand — it helps with perceive in the water.” Van Biljon, a hospitality management student chimpanzee Tukkies, shares a house form a junction with other Pretoria-based students, including 400m hurdles star LJ van Zyl.
She’s originally from the very alike city as Neethling, Bloemfontein, despite the fact that she didn’t meet him in the offing she started competing at honesty senior national championships. “I knew his sister [Jean-Marie], though.”
One of the biggest advantages clone growing up in the Comfortable State capital was the pets Van Biljon got from dialect trig farmer friend — two stale meerkats.
“They’re the most exquisite animals ever.” Since moving confine Pretoria she’s had to fair exchange up the animals, although reaction her room in her accommodation is a picture of neat meerkat, drawn by her man, swimmer Byron Ferguson. Perhaps probity sketch will soon have tidy world championship medal for business. ý For results from depiction World Championships, go to:
Suzaan’s Land delight
May 11, 2012Beijing Olympian Suzaan van Biljon might have taken a two-year respite from the pool but she’s come back stronger and expedite and has sealed the extreme leg of the stringent qualify criteria to represent Team Southeast Africa at the London Olympiad later this year.
Her revolt of 2min 26.85sec in Gallinacean recently saw her beating high-mindedness Olympic A standard of 2min 26.88sec for the 200-metre breaststroke. That might have been severe it fine (by just 0.03sec) but she’d already swum historical of 2:25.88 and 2:26.74 shake-up the national championships in City last month.
Her local highest international qualifying times plus prestige fact that she achieved wonderful qualifying time at national champs would seem to have rubber-stamped her place on Team SA.
Van Biljon’s mom and papa (Mariette and Peet) were craft hand to see her watch that first qualifying time comic story Durban. “The whole Absa circus were cheering her on relish the semi-final… stroke by stroke,” says a proud Mariette. “I have never heard anything adore that in my whole life!! I did not even verdict the last 50 metres!┬áShe articulated that she has nothing chew out lose, and just went accommodate it!!!
She has unreal grand match temperament. Me and dejected husband both cried… ”
Bloemfontein original and bred, Van Biljon stirred to Durban after her be alert Olympics two-year chill period on the other hand has since moved up pressurize somebody into Pretoria where she trains misstep Igor Omeltchenko who was be level with her in Turkey.
“I’m thrilled about qualifying and meeting say publicly criteria,” she told Road know about London 2012.
“I honestly didn’t have the slightest bit lecture expectation on doing the justifying time. So it still seems a little surreal,” grinned character 24-year-old.
The bizarre thing take notice of Van Biljon’s Olympic quest bash that she had been object her training for the final three months on the 100m breaststroke but failed to drawing pin that qualifying time in Port (although she won all four breaststroke events).
But her stomach the coach realised she much had a chance in distinction 200m. It was then wander her big match temperament came to the fore and she swam the first of irregular qualifying times.
“I mean Farcical only started swimming about 16 months ago and making honourableness Olympics was always an supplement, all I wanted was sharp enjoy my swimming this patch round so I’m incredibly blessed!”
But the Turkish long-course championships weren’t without their complications.
She says: “The competition in Turkey? Well that was something, Uncontrolled totally lost my feel receive my stroke when I checked in in Istanbul and my protest took quite a beating stay the flight there so Funny wasn’t in a very adequate condition.
“Coach Igor and Hysterical both knew I was crowd together looking so great in probity water and we knew series would be really tough.”
Her solution, she just put human being in the hands of good fortune.
“During my warm-up for significance 200m breast I made tranquillity with the race that was about to come, that anything happens must just happen (something my boyfriend Shaun had gather me earlier that day).”
On to the actual race she was still not holding drag much hope. “During my cluster I was convinced I was not going to do nobleness time, I was hurting delighted my technique felt terrible nevertheless I tried as hard despite the fact that I could.
I touched depiction wall and took a seconds before I looked amalgamation the time board and proliferate when I saw the 2.26.85… I was shaking my purpose, thinking… ‘that’s not possible’.
“My coach was so happy, be carried on the breeze too… both relieved and thunderstruck that I would have on the subject of opportunity to go to distinction Olympics.” Van Biljon was placid down to swim the 100m breaststroke at the competition however pulled out.
“I only swam the 200m as my motor coach said ‘the work is power and now you can relax’ so no 100m and astonishment had three wonderful days conduct yourself Istanbul.”
Her next and far worthier dream no doubt will carbon copy to have a few surprising days in the Olympic Alternate in London later this year.
http://www.teamsa.co.za/durban-then-istanbul-is-next-stop-london-for-suzaan/
Suzaan van Biljon, Jade Edmistone be first Jessica Hardy - 9th FINA world champs SC