Sheryl James

I am a proudly South African Paralympic T37 track athlete, based in Limpopo Province, born with cerebral palsy which is basically impaired muscle function, in my case on the right side of my body (hemiplegia). That being said, my physical challenges have never stopped me from reaching my goals. I have a passion for pushing the limits of what I am capable of and for inspiring those around me to do the same – live life to the fullest! My sprinting story starts back in 2018 at the age of 32 (having initially participated in long distance running between 2010 and 2015 during which time I ran three Comrades marathons and completed two of them). In 2018 I joined IsAbility Sports Club in Gauteng, (a club for able-bodied and athletes with impairments). I was encouraged to start sprint training and, by the grace of God, pure determination and hard work, went on to reach my athletics milestones with the help of my coaching team, (physio Elmien van der Goot, Pilates trainer Karen Louw, and coach Gideon Joubert). The opportunity to represent South Africa, and medalling, at both the 2019 Para Athletics World Championships and the Tokyo Paralympic Games is indescribable. It is a great honour to wear my country’s green and gold and I look forward to the next. To me, even more valuable than Paralympic glory are the doors that my achievement helps open for IsAbility Sports Club Limpopo to assist more people in our local community to get involved in athletics and other inclusive sports activities. I am passionate about creating change through sport and take my role as ambassador to IsAbility Sports Club Limpopo seriously. Another highlight is my association with the Jumping Kids Prosthetic Fund as a charity ambassador and role-model. Our partnership lead to an opportunity to assist a young Makhado scholar living with lower limb amputation to access quality prosthetic equipment, holistic rehabilitative support and good education. It is all systems go to run good qualifying times at the 2023 Toyota South Africa SASAPD National Championships for a chance to be selected to represent my country at the Paris 2023 Para Athletics World Championships. The Road to Paris is beckoning. I will keep to my personal motto – just be real.