Team South Africa snatched four more medals at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Kenya on Saturday. Mine de Klerk led from the front as she won the women’s shot put final, winning gold with a best attempt of 17.40m. It was her second medal at the Championships after she grabbed silver in the discus throw on Friday.

Speaking to Jess Whittington for World Athletics, Mine de Klerk said “It’s overwhelming, I still can’t believe it’s true.” “I definitely wanted to win a medal in the shot put, gold was my goal. In the discus, I didn’t expect to get a medal at all. I just came to enjoy it. When I got the silver I was blown away,” said the 18-year-old followed her opening 17.30m with throws of 17.24m, 16.77m, 17.15m, a foul, and then 17.40m.

Fellow South African 19 year old Dane Roets of South Africa wrapped up an impressive South African performance by taking bronze in the shot put with a 15.61m heave at the  world athletics Under 20 championship in Nairobi Kenya.

The university of Johannesburg shot putter in her first international event of 2021 threw an impressive 15,61 meters which was enough to earn her a place in the medals line up for the best and most promising athletes under the age of 20 around the world.

Roet in a very active 2021 has taken part in several national events in the U20 events like the U20 Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) league, South African University Championships, Athletics Central North West (ACNW) open, she also took part in the Crimson Global Academy (CGA) open meet which saw her stock rise nationally in the shot put events.

Roets has made a remarkable mark of her development in the sports, at the age of 17 she won gold at the African Youth Games in Algiers Algeria in 2008 and a bronze in the Discuss throw in the same Games.

She is also a bronze medallist at the Youth Olympic Games in Nuenos Aires in 2018 and several national junior champiosnships.

In 2019 Roets launched her best attempt at the South African girls shot put final of 17.69 to break Lezaam Jordan’s Seven year old youth records of 19.52