Ada Booyens
Encyclopedia
Ada Booyens is a South African race walker
.
Booyens ( born as Ada Georgina Reichert) is a South African race walker. Ada never participated in any competitive sport until aged 45 when she made a late start (2006). Ada won her first international gold medal in France in 2008 in the Masters 10 km event, after only 2 years in the sport. Noteworthy is that she first became a World Champion before se became a South African National Masters Champion.
After winning the gold medal in France 2008, she participated in the South African Masters Championships and won gold in the 5 km and 10 km events. In 2009 she repeated it and again won gold in the South African Championships in the 5 km and 10 km races. In the 2009 World Masters Championships in Lahti, Finland she took 3 gold medals in the 5 km, 10 km and the team event on the 10 km race.
About Ada Booyens
Ada was born in the small town, Barkly West, in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, where she grew up and finished school. For Ada and everyone in the sparesly populated province, life was not full of opportunities. She did a little bit of athletics, but race walking was never introduced as a sport. After school she went to the teachers college in Bloemfontein, qualified there as a primary teacher, got married and had 3 children.
THE BEGINNINGS
When Ada's daughter, Riandi, was 12 years old, Race Walking was introduced at her school and she became the first Primary School South African Champion in the history of South Africa. Two years later, her second child, Christo, also became South African Champion. Her third child, Thinus, repeated that by becoming the family's 3rd SA Champion in a row.
At that stage Ada suffered from severe depression when she met Race Walking coach, Carl Meyer. He encouraged her to take up the same sport as her children and coached her over the telephone. Two months later he saw her race walking and immediately recognised a massive talent. He started to coach her to compete in national events and she soon won against long established South African Masters Champions.
Carl Meyer is a very experienced Race Walker since 1972 and a IAAF level IV Race walking coach, serving the race walking sport for more than 37 years. Currently he holds the oldest standing South African athletic record and he also won a silver medal in the 3000m event at the World Masters Indoor Championships in France in 2008, as well as a bronze medal at the World Masters Athletic Championships in Italy in 2007.
Recently Ada was nominated as one of the Best World Masters athletes for 2009.
2010 and ADA is on the World Championship Podium Again!
In a very short masters athletic career Ada established herself as a world class masters athlete at the recent Kamloops World Indoor Championships in Canada during the first week of March 2010. Once again she walked away with 2 gold medals in the indoor 3000m (15:57.06) and 10 km (54:23.30) race walk events.
Ada now has 6 World Championship Gold Medals and 1 bronz that she won during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 World Masters Athletic Championships.
Race walking
Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance athletic event. Although it is a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must appear to be in contact with the ground at all times...
.
Booyens ( born as Ada Georgina Reichert) is a South African race walker. Ada never participated in any competitive sport until aged 45 when she made a late start (2006). Ada won her first international gold medal in France in 2008 in the Masters 10 km event, after only 2 years in the sport. Noteworthy is that she first became a World Champion before se became a South African National Masters Champion.
After winning the gold medal in France 2008, she participated in the South African Masters Championships and won gold in the 5 km and 10 km events. In 2009 she repeated it and again won gold in the South African Championships in the 5 km and 10 km races. In the 2009 World Masters Championships in Lahti, Finland she took 3 gold medals in the 5 km, 10 km and the team event on the 10 km race.
About Ada Booyens
Ada was born in the small town, Barkly West, in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, where she grew up and finished school. For Ada and everyone in the sparesly populated province, life was not full of opportunities. She did a little bit of athletics, but race walking was never introduced as a sport. After school she went to the teachers college in Bloemfontein, qualified there as a primary teacher, got married and had 3 children.
THE BEGINNINGS
When Ada's daughter, Riandi, was 12 years old, Race Walking was introduced at her school and she became the first Primary School South African Champion in the history of South Africa. Two years later, her second child, Christo, also became South African Champion. Her third child, Thinus, repeated that by becoming the family's 3rd SA Champion in a row.
At that stage Ada suffered from severe depression when she met Race Walking coach, Carl Meyer. He encouraged her to take up the same sport as her children and coached her over the telephone. Two months later he saw her race walking and immediately recognised a massive talent. He started to coach her to compete in national events and she soon won against long established South African Masters Champions.
Carl Meyer is a very experienced Race Walker since 1972 and a IAAF level IV Race walking coach, serving the race walking sport for more than 37 years. Currently he holds the oldest standing South African athletic record and he also won a silver medal in the 3000m event at the World Masters Indoor Championships in France in 2008, as well as a bronze medal at the World Masters Athletic Championships in Italy in 2007.
Recently Ada was nominated as one of the Best World Masters athletes for 2009.
2010 and ADA is on the World Championship Podium Again!
In a very short masters athletic career Ada established herself as a world class masters athlete at the recent Kamloops World Indoor Championships in Canada during the first week of March 2010. Once again she walked away with 2 gold medals in the indoor 3000m (15:57.06) and 10 km (54:23.30) race walk events.
Ada now has 6 World Championship Gold Medals and 1 bronz that she won during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 World Masters Athletic Championships.