Easy as pie: Seven gold medals and five records for determined Willene

WINNING a medal at a sporting event is an achievement on its own. Winning a gold medal is something truly special. But winning seven gold medals and breaking five records in the process is – to put it mildly – something to be very proud of.

Yet this is precisely what happened to 12-year-old Willene Wiid when she took part in the South African Sports Association for the Physically Disabled (SASAPD) competition held in Cape Town recently.

Willene was born on June 18, 2010. At the age of five, while holidaying at Hartenbos and frolicking in the water, she suffered a stroke that affected the right side of her body.

The young child had to learn to do everything all over again. She had to learn to crawl, walk, talk, and write with her left hand; in fact, she now had to learn to do everything with her left hand, despite being right-handed originally.

With a lot of hard work, a lot of rehabilitation, and a ton of patience, Willene progressed bit by bit, slowly but surely.

Willene’s mother, Emarri, was visibly bubbling over with joy when speaking to the DFA.

"I am so proud of my daughter; what she has achieved is a miracle from where she has come from, and this time being able to compete against disabled bodies like her," she said.

Emarri, who is a financial clerk for a farm in Hopetown, also has a passion for sports.

"I studied sports management and coaching, and I also have my honours in Kinderkinetics, not knowing that one day I would be using what I had learned for my own child’s rehabilitation and also being her coach," she said.

According to Emarri, Willene has a very strong will; she is a fighter, and she doesn't give up or back down for anything or anybody.

“She wanted to do everything herself all the time; she has an ‘I can, I can, I can’ attitude, and it gave her self-reliance and boosted her progress in so many ways,” the proud mother said.

“When it was time for school, Hopetown High School took our hand, and Willene went to Grade 1 with her current friends in January 2017. She joined her peers in everything she could, but she had to learn from an early age that she probably wouldn’t win. That didn’t stop her at all; she took part in everything that the able-bodied children took part in because she had the privilege of being able to.

“She always kept doing everything with a smile, and she still does,” Emarri added.

“I think the fact that she participated in everything with able bodies from an early age is a big reason for her good results at the SASAPD along with the fact that she works hard to achieve that.”

According to Emarri, Willene first participated in the Free State Sports Association for the Physically Disabled with other disabled bodies in November 2022, and it went very well.

“She first competed in cycling there and enjoyed it immensely. There, she has already done very well and was included in the Northern Cape team that competed in the SASAPD over the past month. She took part in shot put, javelin throw, discus throw, long jump, 100-metre as well as one kilometre and three kilometre cycling.”

Speaking to the DFA, Willene backed up what her mother had said, saying that she started taking part in athletics in Grade one with her able-bodied friends in school.

“My friends motivate me to keep on trying and doing my best, even if I don't have the full ability they have. Every year, I became better and better, and that helped me a lot to get to where I am today. This was the first time ever that I could compete against disabled bodies like mine.

“On Saturday, I took part in the first events. I took part in the one kilometre and three kilometre cycling, and I really enjoyed that. On Sunday, I competed in the 100-metre race as well as the shot put, and on Monday, I competed in the javelin throw, discus throw, and long jump," said Willene.

And in the process, raked in those seven gold medals and broke five new SASAPD records.

This is how her records look:

Discus throw: Old record 9.9 metres. Willene threw 15.41 metres, improving by 5.51 metres.

Javelin throw: Old record 7.2 metres. Willene threw 13.34 metres, improving by 6.14 metres.

Shot put: Old record 4.27 metres. Willene threw 5.7 metres, improving by 1.43 metres.

Long jump: Old record 1.2 metres. Willene jumped 2.25 metres, improving by 1.05 metres.

100 metres: Old record 23.6 seconds. Willene ran 20.16 seconds, a 3.44 second improvement.

Cycling: In both the one kilometre and three kilometre cycling competition, Willene won gold.

Asked about her excellent achievements Willene was modest but thrilled.

“I didn’t expect to break all these records, and I am super proud of myself,” she said.

However, success didn’t come by accident. According to Emarri, she gets her daughter to practise a lot before competitions.

“We try to get as much practice in as possible. Sometimes we would practise three to four times a week to make sure that she was comfortable with every exercise. We are now looking forward to the Free State championships coming up in August this year.

“We also have our eye on the future of the South African team; if we can achieve that, we will be very glad.

“Currently, Willene is still too young to take part in the World Championship. Everything we are working on is a build-up to the World Championships in 2026 and the Paralympics in 2028,” Emarri added.

Meanwhile, Willene said that she felt very special the day she went to school after winning all her medals.

“My school principal, Zelda Zwiegers, arranged for the school to hold an honour guard for me when I walked into the school. They put a flower wreath around my neck, making me feel very important and loved,” she said.

Above and beyond her sporting achievements, Willene also likes to ride horses and do ballet.

“I have a horse called Misty; I got her when I was four years old. I also compete now and then in Western games with her,” she said proudly.

The DFA also managed to speak to Gerrit Myburg, Hopetown High School's sports manager, who said that the school is very proud of what Willene has accomplished.

“This is her first time ever competing in such a big competition, and we are very glad that she had the opportunity to take part with other disabled bodies like her,” Myburg said. “She is still going to achieve big things in the future if she continues on the path she is on now.”

Myburg said that even while Willene was competing against able-bodied students, she still did very well.

“She competed all the way to regional events and never stood back because of her disability. All of the learners at the school are very proud of her; she is keeping the school’s name up high and making her province very proud.”

After speaking with Willene and her mother, it was very clear that they have the Eye of the Tiger, the X-Factor in them and, come what may, Willene is not standing back for anyone or anything.

The young athlete is proving to everyone that a disability can be turned into an ability if you put your mind to it, dig deep, and believe in yourself.