Michael Louwrens
Encyclopedia
Michael Louwrens is a paralympic athlete
from South Africa
competing mainly in category F57 shot putt and discus events.
Michael won three Paralympic gold medals in the shot putt winning in 1996
, 2000
and 2004
. At each of these games he also competed in the discus but was unable to win a medal in the discus. His fourth and final games came in 2008
but could only finish fifth in the shot putt, the first time in the Paralympics that he had not won the gold medal.
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
competing mainly in category F57 shot putt and discus events.
Michael won three Paralympic gold medals in the shot putt winning in 1996
1996 Summer Paralympics
The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, USA were held from 16 August to 25 August. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million....
, 2000
2000 Summer Paralympics
The 2000 Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia, from 18 October to 29 October. The eleventh Summer Paralympic Games, an estimated 3800 athletes took part in the Sydney programme. They commenced with the opening ceremony on 18 October 2000...
and 2004
2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as...
. At each of these games he also competed in the discus but was unable to win a medal in the discus. His fourth and final games came in 2008
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
but could only finish fifth in the shot putt, the first time in the Paralympics that he had not won the gold medal.