“Penny (Heyns) showed us all what was possible. Also, seeing Tatjana (Schoenmaker) following in Penny’s footsteps was always an inspiration for me, and she was definitely a role for me growing up,” Van Niekerk says. Before 2022, Van Niekerk was considered a promising young swimmer winning continental titles at the age-group level, while she narrowly missed out on a medal at the 2019 World Junior Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Then she broke through, with double gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and she has her sights on more success at the Paris Games.