2021 has been an eventful year for the 2018 African youth 100m-hurdles champion, Kayla van den Bergh, despite her not having raced yet. 

The Tuks athlete has definite goals. She wants to compete at the upcoming 2021 World Student Games in China as well as the 2020 World Athletics U20 Championships in Kenya. To her, it means putting in the long hard hours. It felt like she was not doing so. 

It, however, turned out to be the least of her concerns. Van den Bergh contracted the COVID-19 virus while in the USA. She really got sick.

"I battled to breathe. At one stage, I could hardly get out of bed to shower. My biggest fear was that I would need to go to the hospital. I did not want to be on a ventilator as I have heard there is a risk of damaging lungs. It is something no athlete can afford. Being all on your own in a little room far from family and friends drained me emotionally." 

Van den Bergh is relieved to be back in South Africa and to have made a full recovery. According to her, people must realise that the COVID-19 pandemic is real. 

"Believe me; you don't want to get sick." 

She is not sure as to when she will start racing. Last week injured her hamstring. It does not seem serious, but she is not going to risk aggravating her injury. 

The 19-year old is looking forward to a race against Tuks's Rikenette Steenkamp, South Africa's 100m-hurdles record and national indoors 60m-hurdles record holder for the first time.

"Rikenette has been my role model from when I was small. To me, a real champion is someone who remains humble no matter what their achievements might be. Rikenette is like that. She will never shy away from talking to young athletes giving them advice, and she never quits. I am striving to be the same."

Van den Bergh relishes a good duel on the track. 

"Every race has its own challenges. That is what makes athletics exciting. I don't mind losing as long as you learn from your mistakes. The goal should always to be better."

The Tuks athlete's CV is already impressive. She has won the 100m-hurdles at the 2018 African Youth Games and in 2019, she won gold at the African Youth Championships in Ivory Coast. She was fifth during the 2018 Youth Olympics.

Van den Bergh is also a double South African youth champion. For now, her best time is 13.84s, but she believes she is capable of being faster. 

Speed seems to be a family thing. When her father, Riaan, played fullback for the Blue Bulls, he was no slouch when he had the ball in hand. Her mother, Yvonne, was a 400m-hurdler in her younger days, while her younger brother, Christiaan, is already also a champion hurdler.