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Charl Bouwer

Charles "Charl" Bouwer was born in Kimberley in March 1990 where he attended the Elizabeth Conradie School where he was coached by Paralympian Ebert Kleynhans. He moved to Stellenbosch University to study theology and swim under coach Pierre de Roubaix at the Matied SC.

At the 2004 Summer Paralympics he competed in the 100m backstroke, 200m individual medley and 400m freestyle.

At the 2008 Summer Paralympics he competed in S13 100m butterfly, 400m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 50m freestyle. He won gold and set a new world record in the 400m freestyle.

At the 2012 Summer Paralympics he participated in the S13 class Men's 50m, 100m and 400m freestyle; 100m butterfly; 100m backstroke and the SM13 Men's 200m individual medley. He won gold in the 50m freestyle.

“Before every major event I always think to myself, am I going to return with any medals,” he said.

“This time, I said to myself just to bring back the same amount of medals I won in London. I was really surprised when I won a fourth medal for my country.

“It shows that my training for the past few years is paying off.”

Bouwer has had a busy year, trying to balance swimming with studies at Stellenbosch University. “This was a very tricky year for me.”

Bouwer was full of praise for his coaches

“I attribute my success to my coaches at Stellenbosch and my first coach in Kimberley, where I trained the during the winter.”

“My coaches do so much for me and will do anything to help me. So, I can only say thank you to my coaches for all their hard work and help.”

Bouwer says he lives by the motto “no pain, no gain”, and that his success is due to his hunger to always be the best.

Bouwer wins on debut

December 21, 2009

Beijing Paralympic gold medallist Charl Bouwer recently transfered his pool prowess to the open water discipline when he won the annual Os Fees 1.5 kilometre swim in Theunissen, Free State.

In Beijing, Bouwer won the 400m freestyle event in world record time but the open water event on the Erfenis Dam was something else for the visually impaired athlete.

“It was very different to what I’m used to, and I have to admit I’ve always had a bit of a phobia about putting my head into dirty dam water. But it all went well and luckily, with my disability I wasn’t able to see any catfish swimming around.

“I had a guy on a paddle-ski next to me, just keeping me on the right path. From the beginning I tried to stay ahead so that I didn’t bump into the guys ahead of me and also so that they didn’t follow me if I went wrong.

“I had a nice lead for most of the way and then a guy from Bloemfontein, Christoff Botha, almost caught me and I had to put in a bit of a spurt at the end.”

The annual event attracted hundreds of swimmers and is organised by Springbok rugby legend, Os du Randt and his wife Hannellie. Du Randt farms in the area.

Bouwer recently wrote his matric exams and has recently moved from Kimberley to Stellenbosch where he plans to study Sports Science at Stellenbosch University. He is already training with the Maties swimming club under the guidance of Pierre de Raubaix. His former coach was Ebert Kleinhans.

And will there be more open-water adventures? “I definitely think so. I’d like to give the five and 10km distance a go, I’m just not sure exactly when.”

Former city learner off to compete in Paralympics

24 Aug 2012

FORMER Elizabeth Conradie School learner, Charl Bouwer, who is currently pursuing his studies at Stellenbosch University, will be competing in this year’s Paralympics as part of the 62-strong South African squad.

The team departed for London this week.

The Paralympic Games kick off on Wednesday and ends on September 9. In Beijing four years ago, South Africa came back with 30 medals, 21 of them gold and was placed sixth on the medal table. This year the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee has set a 40-medal target.

Bouwer, who has already taken part in two previous Paralympics, is competing in category S13 events.

Bouwer’s first stint in the Olympics was in 2004 where he competed in the 100-metre backstroke, 200-metre individual medley and 400-metre freestyle.

Four years later in 2008 he competed in numerous events from the 50-metre freestyle to 400-metre freestyle, an event in which he not only won the Paralympic title but also broke the world record.

Bouwer started swimming at a young age, growing up on a farm, and was prompted into swimming competitively when his mother discovered his talent.

Helonie, Bouwer’s mother said yesterday that he started swimming in the rivers and dams on the farm.

“I taught him doggy paddle and then how to swim properly and after that I took him for lessons.”

Bouwer developed Stargardt, a loss of the central vision which af­fects one in 100 people. “One of his school teachers recommended that we take him to have his sight tested. “Although we visited five optometrists, none of them could find anything wrong until a specialist from Bloemfontein diagnosed him with Stargardt.”

Bouwer has been swimming in galas since he was six years old and earned his provincial colours. “While he had to adjust to his vision being impaired, in terms of swimming nothing changed,” his mother said.

Bouwer has always loved swimming and first he did it partly to be with friends. “It was fun to hang out together at the galas,” he said before his departure.

Bouwer said that when his vision became impaired his life changed. “I changed schools and attended Elizabeth Conradie school instead of a government school, but in terms of swimming nothing changed as we got a sponsor and a swimming pool was built for us at school to practice.

“I won my first Nedbank championships at the age of 12 and in 2004 I was the youngest ever member to join the South African squad to attend and participate at the Athens Paralympics.

“I was very young, I can remember it now like it was yesterday. I really love being at the Paralympics, competing and also mixing with athletes from all around the world.

Bouwer’s discipline also helped him to be a good swimmer. He pointed out that he attributed the discipline to his parents.

“It is such an honour and privilege to be representing my country and compete for medals in South African colours in London.

Charl Bouwer swem SA se negende Paralimpiese medalje los

2012-09-02

LONDEN. – Die gesiggestremde Stellenbosse swemmer Charl Bouwer het gisteraand vroeg hier Suid-Afrika se negende medalje op vanjaar se Paralimpiese Spele verower.

Die 22-jarige boorling van Kimberley het in die 100m-vryslag die silwermedalje verower nadat hy eergisteraand die titel in die 50-vryslag gebuit het. Bouwer het sy teologie-studies vir ’n jaar opgeskort om vir die Paralimpiese Spele voor te berei. Nadat hy met die omdraaislag nog derde was, het Bouwer sterk geëindig en die beste tyd van sy loopbaan twee keer op dieselfde dag verbeter – eers met ’n tyd van 53.28 s en toe in die eindronde met 52.97 s. (Lees ook die berig op Sport24).

Gisteraand laat sou die Pretoriase lemnaeller Oscar Pistorius (klas T43) sy titel in die 200m verdedig. Sy kamermaat, Arnu Fourie (klas T44), ’n ouditeur op Stellenbosch, was in dieselfde wedloop. Fourie het een geamputeerde been, terwyl albei Pistorius se bene weens ’n geboortedefek onder die knie geamputeer is.

Pistorius het in sy uitdun voor 80000 juigende en jillende toeskouers behoorlik lemme neergelê en ’n nuwe wêreldrekord van 21.30 s aangeteken. Dit was hoendervel mooi.

Met dié kragvertoning het hy ’n duidelike boodskap aan sy teenstanders gestuur dat hy nie hier is om op sy louere te rus nie.

Fourie het ook in sy klas ’n wêreldrekord van 22.57s opgestel.

Suid-Afrika spog nou met twee goue, drie silwer- en vier bronsmedales. Op die vorige Paralimpiese Spele vier jaar gelede in Beijing het die span 30 medaljes verower, waarvan 21 goud was.

Die ander lede van die span wat eergisteraand medaljes ver-ower het, is die swemmer Achmat Hassiem (100m-vlinderslag, brons) en die atlete Jonathan Ntutu (100, brons), Teheboho Mokgalagadi (100, silwer), Dyan Buys (100, silwer) en Anrune Liebenberg (200, brons).

Vroeër het die swemmers Natalie du Toit (100-vlinderslag, goud) en die siggestremde Hendri Herbst (100-vryslag, brons) ook medaljes gewen.

Pistorius het gesê dit is altyd “baie spesiaal” om ’n wêreldrekord op te stel en hy was baie opgewonde oor die eindronde.

Pistorius, die eerste gestremde atleet in die geskiedenis wat toegelaat is om aan die Olimpiese Spele deel te neem, het weer benadruk die 400 is waarskynlik sy beste item en dat die 100 die moeilikste sal wees.

- Volksblad

Charl Bouwer Sets Paralympic World Record in South Africa

18 April 2013

PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa, April 18. AFTER a two-day delay due to a burst pipe, and a switch to a pure timed finals schedule, the South African Nationals returned with a bang as Charl Bouwer downed the world record in the S13 200-meter free event.

Bouwer clocked a time of 1:56.78, demolishing the previous mark of 2:02.12 set by Greece's Charalampos Taiganidis in 2006.

Charl Bouwer 2013 IPC Canada medals

22 August 2013 - Charl Bouwer won three bronze medals and a silver at the IPC championships in Canada. His sister Helena Bouwer tries to take them from him.

Charl Bouwer en Ilse Hayes 2013

10 Oktober 2013  Maties Sport Ere kleure dinee - Ilse Hayes en Charl Bouwer as Sportman en -vrou met Gestremdheid, saam met Dir Maties Sport Jackie Wiese

Paralympic gold medallist Bouwer calls quits on career

April 16, 2015

Let there be no doubt about it… Team South Africa has something of a mountain to climb if they are going to get close to emulating their achievements at the 2012 Paralympics in London.

Three-time Paralympian swimmer Charl Bouwer is the latest ‘casualty’ from the team of 2012 who won’t be part of the Rio equation. The visually impaired Kimberley-based swimmer has hung up his costume and swopped the swimming pool for the business pool.

That means he joins a list of high profile athletes who won’t be in Rio.
Fellow swimmer and Paralympics legend Natalie du Toit called it quits after the London games while track athlete Oscar Pistorius was found guilty of culpable homicide and is still involved in a protracted legal battle.
Fact of the matter is that of the 29 medals won by the SA Paralympians in London, more than a third were won by this trio of athletes.
The trio won 10 medals in total (six gold and four silvers). So there’s no getting over the fact that the current generation of Paralympic talent are going to have to step up to the plate in a big way.

Now 25 years old, Bouwer, who won three medals in London (one gold and two silvers) has been toying with the idea of giving up for some time and the business world is calling him.

He told Road to Rio 2016: ‘I came to a point in my life where I realised that I have to start focusing on the bigger picture in life. I simply can’t swim for ever and then ask myself the day when I stop ‘what will I do now?’.

‘I’m very privileged to have parents who have also taught me a lot in life and who are great mentors. I’ve started my own business here in Kimberley where I manufacture tombstones and table tops.  My products are a lot cheaper than granite and is therefore more affordable for the average guy on the street.

‘I’ve wanted to stop for a while now but ended up just accepted having to go to training and then if I was chosen for the team I’d go along. I think this was because I liked the idea of quitting more than actually doing it. I think it’s hard for anyone who has gone through training for an Olympics or Paralympics to finally call it quits.’
But Bouwer was quick to thank all those behind his impressive career that saw him swimming at the Athens, Beijing and London Paralympics.

‘I must say I’ve had great coaches in my life. Pierre de Roubaix is the coach I respect the most in life and I’ve have learned a lot from him. Not only in the swimming pool but in life itself.

‘The years I trained at Maties with Pierre must have been the hardest training I have ever done. Some weeks we swam between 80 to 100 kilometres. For someone coming from a small place like me, that took some getting used to. Thankfully Pierre and Heerden Herman [himself an Olympic swimmer] was there to help me get used to all of that. I’ve learned so much in my life from the sport and without my swimming I don’t think I’d be the same person I am today. For the rest of my life I’ll always look back at my swimming and I think it will help me in my life.

‘The swimming was hard work but I think that hard work made it so much more worthwhile. Pierre use to say that ‘if it was easy everybody would have done it’. That meant a lot to me and I know I will always remember it and use it whenever something gets hard to do.’

He also took time out to thank the administrators behind the scene. ‘I can only say thank you to SASCOC and Swimming South Africa. Without them, I would never have reached the same heights of my swimming career. I’ll miss my swimming days and will defiantly miss the competition but I’ll just have to take my competitive spirit to my business and compete in business.’
The lanky swimmer says two highlights stand out in his career. ‘The first was when I won my first Paralympic gold medal in Beijing and broke the world record in the 400 free. The second was when I won my second gold medal at the London 2012 Games in the 50m free.’

And before he turned his attention away from times to tombstones and table tops he left some advice to the next generation of swimming. ‘Do the hard work and never give up. Just to be able to swim at an event means that you have got a talent from God. Just to be able to swim is a very big and great talent to have. Use it and work hard at it. Remember, no pain no game and swimming is all about the pain.’

Picture of Bouwer, courtesy of Wessel Oosthuizen/SASPA

Charl Bouwer en Ilse Hayes - 2012