Louzanne Coetzee

Louzanne Coetzee (born 18 April 1993) is a South African para-athlete.[1] Coetzee was born blind as a result of a hereditary condition called Leber congenital amaurosis and competes in the T11 disability class, for athletes with the highest level of visual impairment.[2][3] In 2017, Coetzee broke the 5000 m (women) world record in her disability class,[4] while in April 2018 she became the first visually impaired athlete to compete at the World University Cross Country Championships in Switzerland.[5]

Louzanne Coetzee

Personal information
National team	South Africa
Born	1993 Bloemfontein, South Africa
Height	1.54 m (5 ft 1 in)
Weight	48 kg (106 lb; 7 st 8 lb)
Sport
Country	South Africa
Sport	Para Athletics
Disability class	T11
Club	University of the Free State of Bloemfontein
Coached by	Girda Siebert
Medal record Paralympic athletics Representing  South Africa Paralympic Games 2020 Tokyo 1500 m T11 2020 Tokyo Marathon T12

Coetzee competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics representing South Africa in the Women's 1500 metres.[6] She was, however, disqualified when her guide, Khotatso Mokone, was deemed to have provided illegal assistance.

In 2021, Coetzee competed at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, winning the silver medal in the 1500 m final in a new Africa record of 4:40.96 and the bronze medal in the T12 women's marathon in a new T11 world record time of 3:11:13.[7][8]