#TuksSwimming: 17 years of perseverance is the reason why Hendrik van der Merwe is competing at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics in Japan

Posted on August 26, 2021

Rumour has it that Hendrik van der Merwe (now a TuksSport High School matriculant & TuksSwimming Academy graduate), used to pack quite a mean punch in his younger days at school, but he was not a fighter at heart, so he took up swimming. 
 
It turned out to be one of the best decisions he ever made. On Saturday, 28 August, he will compete in the men’s 100m-breaststroke SB5 at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. 
 
His story is about one that refused to give up on a dream. It took van der Merwe 17 years to at long last qualify for the Games. In 2016, he retired from competitive swimming as he believed he would never be good enough. 
 
He started to work as a swimming coach. But in the back of his mind, working with youngsters sharing their dreams made him wonder about his decision. Finally, he realised that quitting is not part of who he is.  So in 2018, he dived in again with only one goal that is to be fast enough. He succeeded in doing so. 
 
According to van der Merwe, he currently ranks as the seventh-fastest swimmer in the men’s 100m-breaststroke. So he is confident of qualifying for the final. 
 
Van der Merwe was born with spina bifida, which means he is not able to walk. However, it never stopped him from being adventurous. As a youngster at his parent's farm in the Limpopo, he swam in dams. Climbed trees and "cycled". 
 
At first, at school, he tried all sorts of sports. It was only when he got to high school that he started to swim. According to van der Merwe, it was a way for him to get away from the near-daily fisticuffs in the hostel of a school in Johannesburg.
 
"I did not want to be in a fight every day anymore. It gets to be tiring. Swimming allowed me to be away for long hours in the afternoon. I even missed a half-hour of our study time. It suited me as I have never been the keenest of students."
 
When he was in Grade-10, he moved to the TuksSport High School.
 
"The whole experience stood me in good stead as I learned so much from the Tuks coaches, fitness instructors, physiotherapists, and dieticians. Their passion led to me also getting involved in the fitness industry."
 
As a strength and fitness coach, van der Merwe's only goal is to encourage people to stay healthy. To him, it is an investment for the future.
 
"People tend to complicate things. Staying healthy is not 'rocket science. It is also not about going to extremes, following funning diets, and doing all sorts of extreme things. My advice is always to stick to the basics and be disciplined. You will be surprised by the results."
 
Van der Merwe is not all talk. In 2017, he was shortlisted in the top 10 for the Men's Health magazine cover model. 
 
Hendrik van der Merwe is competing in Heat 2 of the men’s 100m breaststroke SB5 at 4:09 am (SA time) on Saturday, 28 August.
- Author Wilhelm De Swardt

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