Deaf swimmer from Somerset West wins big at Championships
Deaf swimmer Peggy de Villiers has done the country proud, winning five medals and breaking two world records at the 2015 World Deaf Swimming Championships in San Antonio, Texas.
De Villiers, 21, from Somerset West, crushed her international peers at the tournament, earning a tally of five medals including three gold, one silver and a bronze.
De Villiers broke the 50m butterfly world record in the heats, and later smashed her own record to win gold in the final. In the 100m butterfly she led from start to finish, winning gold and setting a new Deaf World Record time of 1 min 03:69.
Earlier she set a new championship record in the 50m freestyle, winning gold in a new world record time. She also got silver in the 100m freestyle and bronze in the 200m freestyle.
“I was very surprised with my swimming achievements, I had been training in a short course (25m) swimming pool all year and was initially nervous about competing in a long course, standard Olympic-size pool,” said De Villiers.
“I couldn’t believe all the records I broke and was humbled by all the love and support I received globally.”
De Villiers is an alumna of Somerset College, and is currently a BSc student and swimmer at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, USA.