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Kerwin looks ahead to World Para Athletics Champs 2017
Author: Pia Nänny
Published: 20/06/2017

Wearing the green and gold for the first time at the IWAS (International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports) World Games in 2011. Being selected for the SA World Champs team in 2013. Kicking the conversion as fullback of Paul Roos Gymnasium's second team to draw the match against Grey College in matric.

These are just a few of Kerwin Noemdo's (22) sporting highlights and this fourth-year BSc Conservation Ecology student at Stellenbosch University (SU) will no doubt add to them when he competes at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London from 14-23 July.

Kerwin, along with fellow Maties Parasport athletes Charl du Toit, Anruné Liebenberg, Dyan Buis, Arnu Fourie, Ilse Hayes, Zanele Situ, Reinhardt Hamman and debutant Ruhan van Rooyen, have all been included in the team to represent South Africa at this elite event.

"It's a huge honour to represent my country again and I'm extremely happy, but also relieved. I made many sacrifices since 2013 and it was a huge disappointment not to make the World Champs team in 2015. It was a tough journey, but I'm glad I pushed through." 

As a below-elbow arm amputee, Kerwin will compete in the shot put and discus events in the F47 category and he hopes to achieve personal best results in both events. Ultimately this athlete, who was only 13 years old when he participated in his first national championships after being noticed by a member of the South African Sports Association for Physically Disabled, hopes to represent his country at the Paralympic Games.

As an unborn baby, the umbilical cord wrapped around his wrist and he was born with a small, deformed right hand. A few of months after his birth the doctors decided to amputate.

This hasn't stopped him from participating in sport.

"I obviously did not know how it was to have two hands, so I learnt how to play with one hand and adapted accordingly. I played soccer and cricket in primary school and rugby all the way up until matric (2012). I enjoy all sports, but if I have to choose a favourite it will no doubt be rugby. I am a real fanatic."

It comes as no surprise that his sporting hero is a rugby player – former All Black Dan Carter.

"He was arguably the best player at his time, but he always seemed humble. He would just go about his business getting the job done without being loud or getting in anyone's face."

As a student-athlete, Kerwin knows how important it is to put your head down and get the job done. Apart from being a final-year student hoping to graduate at the end of this year, he also trains approximately 12 to 14 hours per week under the guidance of Karin le Roux, who has been his coach since 2010.

"It was a struggle at the beginning (to balance sport and studies), but you get used to it quite quickly. You need to find and work out a system that is best for you. Once you have a fixed routine, it becomes easier to stay focused."

It helps being a resident of Huis Neethling, a SU residence housing mostly student-athletes.

"Being in this environment helps you when you're feeling a bit demotivated. We understand one another, talk about familiar things, and figure out ways to overcome challenges. It also helps when you see another student-athlete studying and realise that you should put in a couple of hours behind the books too, otherwise you will fall behind."

Kerwin chose conservation ecology because he has a real passion for nature and wildlife, especially animals.

"The protection of ecosystems and wildlife is of extreme importance to our survival, and not many people realise this," he says.

He is also a High-Performance Integrated Medicine & Science (IMAS) bursary holder. This bursary is awarded to athletes who have shown exceptional performance in their sport, and assists the athlete to enhance his/her performance through integrated interventions across the areas of sport medicine, performance enhancement and empowerment

"Being an IMAS bursary holder helps in many different ways. Obviously the financial burden is lifted a bit which always helps. But the services that are offered to us, whether it is physiotherapy sessions, gym sessions and even mental sessions, are also very valuable. The whole support structure plays a massive role in making a student-athlete's life much easier."

Kerwin also counts on his family for support.

"They had and always will have the biggest influence on my life. They all play a key role in everything I do and why I do it."

​Photo credit: Martin Potgieter, Bonzai Photograpby