Photo: PRG swim coach, Keith Jansen, with Old boy, Christian Sadie. Bidding them farewell at the airport are Paul Roos swimmers Ruard van Renen and Mitchel Engelke
PRG SA Paralympic squad
PRG Old Boy, Christian Sadie, and his principal coach, Keith Jansen, which is the Paul Roos swimming coach, will form part of the South African Paralympic squad to Tokyo!
Christian Sadie is one of only three Paralympic swimmers in SA Paralympic history to qualify for 4 or more events. Christian is a member of the PRG SA Paralympic squad. He will furthermore participate in the following swimming items: 50m freestyle S7, 100m backstroke S7, 100m breaststroke SB7, 50m butterfly S7 and 200m IM SM 7. He joins multiple Paralympic champions Natalie du Toit and Charle Bouwer in this achievement.
Christian is a Stellenbosch resident. He has a condition known as radial dysplasia, also known as radial club hand, meaning the bones in his arms are missing or underdeveloped.
Christian Sadie began swimming at age seven at school. He stopped swimming in grade 10 because he wanted to play a team sport. Christian then took up football for a while, before returning to swimming. He began swimming, along with other activities like cycling and playing the drums and piano, to help strengthen his upper body and improve coordination. “I wouldn’t say I’m sporty, just competitive. Clearly I don’t think I’m naturally good at things, I’m just a person who practises a lot. I love playing sport. You get so much testosterone and endorphins. And the adrenaline – it’s addictive.
He initially did not want to participate in Para sports as a child. “I always did Para sports from a young age. There’s a different mentality, everyone would get a medal. I didn’t enjoy that because I’m very competitive. You get taught to be disabled in a way. I didn’t see myself as disabled. A lot of people think you need help and you don’t really need help. And that sort of put me off Para sports.
” He hopes to get into sports psychology after his swimming career ends and would also like to work with people suffering from depression, having dealt with depression himself in primary school. “Everyone knows how to work hard but they don’t know how to work smart. Sports to me was a way out of depression. It’s not for everyone because it [depression] is more severe for some. What worked for other people won’t necessarily work for me, or vice versa.”
Christian hope to reach the final at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
The rest of the SA Paralympic team are Hendrik van der Merwe, Katherine Swanepoel and Alani Ferreira. The coaches/management are Theo Verster and Keith Jansen.
The rest of the SA Paralympic team are Hendrik van der Merwe, Katherine Swanepoel and Alani Ferreira. The coaches/management are Theo Verster and Keith Jansen.
More on Paul Roos:
https://schoolsthatrock.co.za/category/western-cape/western-cape-schools/paarl/