South African sprinter Wayde van Niekerk is a force to be reckoned with. The 24-year-old runner has been stunning sports reporters at the Rio Olympics, and not just because he is beautiful. He won the gold medal in the 400-meter race, smashing the record previously held by U.S. star Michael Johnson for 19 years. And he owes much to his coach: a 74-year-old great-grandmother and legend on the South African sporting scene.
Her name is Anna Sophia Botha, but she is affectionately called “Tannie Ans” (Tannie meaning Auntie in Afrikaans). Botha first began training her children in 1968 in Namibia, where she grew up, before taking on other athletes. In her youth, she also competed as a sprinter and long jumper.
