Balancing lecture halls with the demands of elite athletics is all in a day's work for Hannah Van Niekerk. The University of Pretoria student spends her mornings in class and the rest of her day on the track or in the gym, chasing excellence with the same determination she brings to her studies.
Now in her second year of a bachelor of education degree in Foundation Phase and Further Education and Training, after completing a higher certificate in sport science, Van Niekerk, 21, is proving that academic ambition and sporting success can go hand in hand.
Her growing list of achievements includes a bronze medal at the 2024 World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Lima, Peru and another bronze at the 2025 World Athletics Relays.
For Van Niekerk, success begins with belief. If she could speak to her younger self, she would say: "Never underestimate your potential and never stop chasing your dreams, no matter how impossible they seem." The philosophy is reinforced by the best advice she has received: your mindset can determine your future.
Her greatest influence is her father, whose unwavering optimism and honest guidance have shaped the athlete and the person she has become. His constant reminder is simple: give everything your best effort but the number one rule is to enjoy what you do.