Penelope Heyns
Encyclopedia
Penelope Heyns (born 8 November 1974) is a South African swimmer, who is best known for being the only woman in the history of the Olympic Games
to have won both the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke
events - at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games - making her South Africa's first post-apartheid Olympic gold medallist following South Africa's re-admission to the Games in 1992. Along with Australian champion, Leisel Jones
, Heyns is regarded as one of the greatest breaststroke swimmers.
in Barcelona
. She was also a member of the South African squad at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
, where she won a bronze medal in the 200 m breaststroke event.
She broke her first world record, the 100 m breaststroke, in Durban
in March 1996. Heyns was again part of the South African Olympic team in Atlanta in 1996, where she won the gold medal for the 100 m breaststroke (also breaking the world record for the event) as well as the gold medal for the 200 m breaststroke (also breaking the Olympic record for the event). This made her the only woman in the history of the Olympic Games to have won both the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke events.
During the 1998 Goodwill Games
in New York, Heyns set the 50 m breaststroke world record.
In 1999, Heyns set a spate of eleven world records in three months, swimming at events on three different continents. This made her the simultaneous holder of five out of the possible six breaststroke world records, a feat that had never been achieved before in the history of swimming.
She was named by Swimming World magazine
as the Female World Swimmer of the Year in 1996 and 1999.
She was also a member of the South African Olympic team at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. She won a bronze medal in the 100 m breaststroke.
Heyns retired from competitive swimming in 2001. Currently (2004) Heyns is an athlete's commission member of the International Swimming Federation
(FINA), a businesswoman, a motivational and public speaker as well as a television presenter. She has also completed an autobiography
.
Heyns was voted 52nd in the Top 100 Great South Africans
in 2004.
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
to have won both the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke
Breaststroke
The breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn...
events - at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games - making her South Africa's first post-apartheid Olympic gold medallist following South Africa's re-admission to the Games in 1992. Along with Australian champion, Leisel Jones
Leisel Jones
Leisel Marie Jones OAM is an Australian Olympic gold medalist swimmer. A participant in the 2000 Summer Olympics – at just 15 years old – and 2004 Summer Olympics, she was part of gold medal winning Australian team in the women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay at the Athens Games in 2004 and a gold...
, Heyns is regarded as one of the greatest breaststroke swimmers.
Sporting career
Heyns was the youngest member of the South African Olympic team at the 1992 Summer Olympics1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. She was also a member of the South African squad at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
1994 Commonwealth Games
The 1994 Commonwealth Games were held in Victoria, in the province of British Columbia in Canada, from 18 August to 28 August 1994.The XV Commonwealth Games marked South Africa's return to the Commonwealth Games following the apartheid era, and over 30 years since the country last competed in the...
, where she won a bronze medal in the 200 m breaststroke event.
She broke her first world record, the 100 m breaststroke, in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
in March 1996. Heyns was again part of the South African Olympic team in Atlanta in 1996, where she won the gold medal for the 100 m breaststroke (also breaking the world record for the event) as well as the gold medal for the 200 m breaststroke (also breaking the Olympic record for the event). This made her the only woman in the history of the Olympic Games to have won both the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke events.
During the 1998 Goodwill Games
Goodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
in New York, Heyns set the 50 m breaststroke world record.
In 1999, Heyns set a spate of eleven world records in three months, swimming at events on three different continents. This made her the simultaneous holder of five out of the possible six breaststroke world records, a feat that had never been achieved before in the history of swimming.
She was named by Swimming World magazine
Swimming World magazine
Swimming World Magazine is an American-based monthly swimming magazine, that was first published in a magazine format as Junior Swimmer in January of 1960...
as the Female World Swimmer of the Year in 1996 and 1999.
She was also a member of the South African Olympic team at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. She won a bronze medal in the 100 m breaststroke.
Heyns retired from competitive swimming in 2001. Currently (2004) Heyns is an athlete's commission member of the International Swimming Federation
International Swimming Federation
Fédération Internationale de Natation is the International Federation recognized by the International Olympic Committee for administering international competition in the aquatic sports...
(FINA), a businesswoman, a motivational and public speaker as well as a television presenter. She has also completed an autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
.
Heyns was voted 52nd in the Top 100 Great South Africans
SABC3's Great South Africans
Great South Africans was a South African television series that aired on SABC3 and hosted by Noeleen Maholwana Sangqu and Denis Beckett. In September 2004, thousands of South Africans took part in an informal nationwide poll to determine the "100 Greatest South Africans" of all time...
in 2004.