Sheryl shines brightly in India

Date: 03 October 2025 By: Andries van Zyl

Louis Trichardt’s own paralympic bronze medallist, Sheryl James, has once again not only made the Soutpansberg proud but also all of South Africa, after running her way to a bronze medal at the World Para-Athletics Championships in New Delhi, India, on Sunday.

James forms part of South Africa’s five-member team competing at this prestigious event at the Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium in New Delhi from 27 September to 5 October. She competed in the 100m and 400m T37 events for athletes with an impairment affecting one half of the body. The rest of her teammates are Simoné Kruger (discus F38, for athletes with co-ordination impairments), Puseletso Mabote (100m and long jump T63, for athletes with a single above-knee limb amputation or equivalent limb deficiency who compete with a prosthesis), Collen Mahlalela (100m and 400m T46, for athletes with upper limb impairment) and Liezel Gouws (long jump and 400m T37).

James won bronze in the 400m T37 race, taking third place in a time of 1:06.21. First to cross the line was Nataliia Kobzar from Ukraine, in a time of 1:01.18, followed by neutral para-athlete Viktoriia Slanova in second place with 1:05.08.

James recalled the race: “Training in the heat of the day back home has made the horrible, humid climate here at least bearable. Then, by the grace of God, the whisper was on my lips … Lord … SET! … and the BANG! The race itself became a blur, except for the other girls on the final straight in the corner of my eye … then the final reach to edge ahead of them for a bronze! Praise the Lord for his goodness!” Teammate Liezel Gouws finished the event fifth in a time of 1:07.13.

On Tuesday, James went on to qualify in heat 1 of the 100m T37, with the final taking place on Wednesday morning. Despite an impressive run, she had to be content with fifth place in a blistering 13.9 seconds, less than a second slower than the overall winner, Wen Xiaoyan from China, who ran a season’s best of 12.93 seconds. Xiaoyan is the current world-record holder in the event with a time of 12.27 seconds. In second place on Wednesday was Taylor Swanson from the USA, clocking 13.27 seconds.

Over the past week, JLN Stadium hosted more than 1,000 athletes during the World Para Athletics Championships. It was the 12^th edition of this championship and the largest para-sport event ever held in India. The programme featured 186 medal events (101 men’s, 84 women’s and one mixed), 15 more than at the last edition of the championships in Kobe in 2024.

“We are a small team representing South Africa, with all the athletes pulling out strong performances and determined to give their best in the rest of our events,” said James. At the time of our going to press, James was the only South African to win a medal during the championships.

“At 39 years old, this is pretty amazing! We are super proud of her determination to continue competing, and thankful for her complete trust in the Lord, because she coaches herself and that’s not a walk in the park,” said James’s parents, Chris and Sandy. Although they are not there with Sheryl, they are there in spirit. Chris and Sandy said their daughter would be flying back to South Africa on 6 October.

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Andries van Zyl

Andries joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in April 1993 as a darkroom assistant. Within a couple of months he moved over to the production side of the newspaper and eventually doubled as a reporter. In 1995 he left the newspaper group and travelled overseas for a couple of months. In 1996, Andries rejoined the Zoutpansberger as a reporter. In August 2002, he was appointed as News Editor of the Zoutpansberger, a position he holds until today.