Christaan Theart, a former paralympic athlete and hiker of note will hike up Table Mountain in April to raise funds for charity.
Theart was born with polio, but that has never stopped him from doing the sports he loves. In 1981, he received his Springbok colours for swimming and table tennis, his daughter Nicolene van der Mescht shared on Facebook.
“He used to swim 2000m a day for three weeks long to get fit for the paralympic games. He went to London to compete against 19 other countries and South Africa came in 1st, England 2nd and America 3rd,” Van der Mescht added.
On Valentine’s day this year, Theart climbed Lion’s Head with his crutches. It took him only 3.5 hours to get to the top, and 2.5 hours to get down, a time not to be sniffed at.
Now, he wants to take his adventures to the next level. “I cannot walk without my crutches, but it certainly doesn’t stop me,” he told IOL. He hopes to raise money for an organisation that supports people living with polio.
Watch this space for more updates on when his Table Mountain hike will take place, and how you can get involved.
Picture: Screenshot from Facebook video by Nicolene van der Mescht