Arnu Fourie

Fourie was born in Bloemfontein, and lost his left leg below the knee in a boating propeller accident in 2003. He was a rugby player at the time, and was signed by the Golden Lions before his accident. He initially lost interest in sports, but he took up running after the death of a friend convinced him that he should be more active. Fourie graduated from Stellenbosch University and is employed as an accountant in Stellenbosch. He trains at the Maties Helderberg Sports Club for Disabled Athletes under coach Suzanne Ferreira.[1]

Fourie participated in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, taking 4th place in the 100 m and 6th place in the 200 m final. He won a gold medal in the IAAF Golden League Meet in Paris in 2011,[2] and a gold medal as part of the 4x100 relay team at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Fourie won a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games in London on 5 September 2012, running the third leg as part of the South African 4 × 100 m relay team in a world record time of 41.78 seconds.[3] He won a bronze medal in the 100 meter event with a time of 11.08 seconds.[4] He set a T44 world record in his 200-meter heat, then broke it in the final; he placed fourth overall in the event behind T43 classified athletes.[5]

He is married to Carene Fourie née Zaayman.

• The Mechanics of Running Blades