Zanele Situ

Personal information

Born

19 January 1971 (age 46)
Kokstad, South Africa

Years active

1998–present

Sport

Disability

Spinal Cord Injury

Disability class

F54

Club

Maties ParaSport Club: Stellenbosch

Coached by

Karin le Roux

Medal record

Paralympic athletics
Representing South Africa
Paralympic Games
	2000 Sydney	Javelin throw – F52-54
	2004 Athens	Javelin throw – F54/55
	2000 Sydney	Discus throw – F51-54
	2016 Rio de Janeiro	Javelin throw – F54
World Championships
	1998 Birmingham	Javelin F54
	2002 Lille	Javelin F54-56
	1998 Birmingham	Discus F54
	2011 Christchurch	Javelin F54-56
	2013 Lyon	Javelin F54-56
	2015 Doha	Javelin F54

Ntombizanele Situ known as Zanele Situ (born 19 January 1971) is a Paralympian athlete from South Africa competing mainly in category F54 throwing events. Specialising in the javelin throw, Situ is a two-time gold medalist at both the Paralympics and the IPC Athletics World Championships and is the first female South African black athlete to win a Paralympic gold medal.

Situ was born in Kokstad, South Africa in 1971. At the age of twelve she experienced weakness in her legs which resulted in an inability to walk. Medical tests discovered a tuberculosis infection in her spine which resulted in a Situ entering a two-year semi-coma, from which she left with paralysis from the fourth vertebra down, leaving her wheelchair bound. After becoming disabled she was schooled at Mthatha.

Situ first came to the international stage in 1998 when she represented South Africa at her first IPC Athletics World Championships, held in Birmingham, England. There she entered both the javelin and discus events, winning gold in the javelin with a best throw of 14.45 metres, and bronze in the discus throw. This led her to the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney where she won a gold in the F52-54 javelin and a silver in the F51-54 discus. By taking gold in Sydney she became the first South African female black athlete to win a Paralympic title. Two years later she successfully defended her javelin world title in Lille, but despite adding almost two meters to her discus distance from Birmingham, it was only good enough for a fourth-place finish. 2003 saw Situ recognized for her achievements by her country when she was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga (silver) for her contributions to sport.

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