Somerset West teenage swimmer Kate Allwood is set to compete on the international stage after qualifying to represent South Africa at the 2025 Summer Deaflympics in Tokyo, Japan.
The Somerset College Grade 11 learner and newly elected head girl was born profoundly deaf and is the youngest member and only female swimmer on the team.
The 17-year-old received life-changing cochlear implants at the age of six months, and again at 11 months old.
She initially took up swimming to address significant balance challenges, but the activity soon evolved into a competitive passion, motivated in part by her grandmother, who also swam for SA.
Her trajectory includes multiple para national medals and an international debut at the World Deaf Swimming Championships in São Paulo, Brazil, earlier this year.
Kate’s dream of Deaflympic qualification was cemented after an “eye-opening experience” at the Deaf Youth Games in Brazil in January. (“Somerset West teen a stroke above the rest”, DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette, 20 December 2023).
According to her coach, Clint le Seuer of Aqua Sharks, Kate’s commitment has been unwavering, even after her preparation was hampered by illness, which saw her unable to train for a total of 31 days between last December and early February.
Despite the setback, her time improvements over the past year have been extraordinary, including shaving over 20 seconds off her 200 m breaststroke time (from 3:34.71 to 3:14.44) and nearly four seconds off her 100 m breaststroke time (from 1:37.42 to 1:33.10).
“The adjustment to the qualifying times has not deterred her – it has focused her resolve in representing SA to the best of her ability,” Le Seuer said.
Kate will fly out to Japan on Monday 10 November, arriving in time to prepare for the opening ceremony on Saturday 15 November. She faces a demanding schedule at the Deaflympics, competing in seven events: freestyle – 50 m, 100 m, 200 m; breaststroke – 50 m, 100 m, 200 m; and the 200 m individual medley.
Kate’s main goals for the competition are clear: achieve personal bests, represent SA with pride, and use her experience to mentor and inspire younger deaf athletes back home.
“Being deaf presented me with obstacles, but it also opened doors I never expected,” said Kate, who credits Nelson Mandela as her biggest role model for his resilience.
“I want them to see that being deaf doesn’t limit what you can achieve.”
Kate is currently balancing her academics with an intensive training schedule that includes increased time in the pool and three gym sessions per week. She is actively exploring fundraising options to cover the costs of her journey to Tokyo.
As Kate prepares to compete on the world stage, her message to young people facing challenges echoes her own journey: “Find something you’re passionate about, work hard at it, and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve your dreams.”
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