Hestrie Cloete
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's athletics | ||
 |
2000 Sydney | High Jump |
|
2004 Athens | High Jump |
Hestrie Cloete-Storbeck (born August 26, 1978 in Germiston, South Africa) is a highly successful high jumper.
Biography
Cloete grew up in the small railway town of Coligny with her mother Martie and father Willem. She was discovered at an age of 13 by her long-time coach Martin Marx, and trained at the Lichtenburg High School early in her career. She was quickly found to have a very strong will, which had given other coaches trouble coaching her. She married her current husband Andries Cloete at the age of 19. Hestrie has always put a great significance in maintaining a strong mind, and explained that she finds much of that strength in her faith. In 2003, she was awarded the Order of Ikhamanga in Silver (OIS) by South African president Thabo Mbeki for excellence in her sports performances.
Cloete has somewhat unusual habits as she is known to smoke about a pack of cigarettes a day, and has also stated she loves fast food. There is a parallel with this unusual behavior, for an athlete with still maintained top performances, with the Swedish high jumper Patrik Sjöberg, who was besides his world class performances known for his smoking habits.
Cloete has spoken of plans to retire after the 2004 Summer Olympics to focus on her family, and indeed she hasn't competed internationally since 2004.
Achievements
Hestrie's awarded international achievements follows below. Her high jump personal best as of August 31, 2003 is 2.06 m.
| Championship | Year | Height | Medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | 2004 | 2.02 m | Silver |
| 2000 | 2.01 m | Silver | |
| World Championships in Athletics | 2003 | 2.06 m | Gold |
| 2001 | 2.00 m | Gold | |
| World Cup in Athletics | 2002 | 2.02 m | Gold |
| Commonwealth Games | 2002 | 1.96 m | Gold |
References
- "Biography: Hestrie Cloete". IAAF.org. IAAF. Retrieved 2005-12-20.
- "Athletes - Hestrie Cloete". Women Warriors. Women Warriors Productions Inc. Retrieved 2005-12-20.
- "Hestrie Cloete". South African History Online. Retrieved 2005-12-20.
- Hestrie Cloete Pictures