There can be no argument that the lyrics of “Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves” are relevant to the heroics played out in Tuks Sport.
2023 is the year in which Tuks’s female athletes stepped up and beat the best. Their heroics led to Tuks being able to boast having a world champion, a World Student Games Champion, an African Beach Games champion, and various other international medals. Records have also been set, and quite a few athletes are ranked among the world’s best.
As has become the norm since 2018, Tatjana Schoenmaker really pushed the physical and mental boundaries. She became the first South African female swimmer to win a world title. Schoenmaker was victorious in the 200m breaststroke during the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. She won silver in the 100m breaststroke.
Winning the gold at the World Champs was special to Schoenmaker. To use her own words, she had “a tough time” since winning gold at the Tokyo Olympic Games. According to her, the times she swam were not great. She was not ranked in the top three in any of her events in the buildup to the championships. So, to win was unexpected.
Since 2017, there has not been a year in which Schoenmaker has not medalled at a major international event.
Marli Viljoen won the 400 metres during the World Student Games in Chengdu, China.
It was the cherry on top to crown a brilliant season for the Tuks athlete. She has won 10 of the 20 400-metre races she has competed in. Finished second on five occasions and third three times. Only in three of her races this season did she not podium.
More importantly, she has improved her best time by nearly four seconds since 2020. At the end of last year, her best time in the 400 metres was 53.33s. This season, she clocked 51.81s and believes she can still be faster.
The other Tuks female athletes who medalled at the World Student Games are Kaylene Corbett (silver in the 100m and 200-metre breaststroke), Erin Gallagher (silver in the 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle), Courtney Westley (silver in rowing’s single sculls) and Charne Swart (bronze in the 800 metres). Cresswell partnered with Nadia Gaspari (UJ) to win bronze in the women’s double sculls.
During the African Beach Games in Hammamet, Tunisia. Amica de Jager won gold in the open-water swimming event. Bea Meiring won silver in beach wrestling, while Alexandra Ennis teamed up with Ziyanda Gwamanda in rowing to win silver.
The 21-year-old Marione Fourie set a new South African record in July in Switzerland when she won the 100m hurdles in a time of 12.55s. The Tuks sports science student set the record in the heats of the Resisprint International, Stade de La Charrière, La Chaux-de-Fonds Meeting. It is one of the 17 fastest times this season in the world.
Tuks’s netball team won the Varsity Tournament. What was unique is that they won nine of their games. It is only the second time they ended up unbeaten in the tournament. They also did so in 2019.
So, to quote the lyrics again. 2023 has been a year in which “Sisters are doin’ it for themselves; Standin’ on their own two feet; And ringin’ on their own bells . . .”