Kayla Swarts

Kayla Swarts

Personal information
Born	(2003-05-24) 24 May 2003 (age 21)
Field hockey career Playing position Midfielder Club information Current club Central [1] Senior career Years Team 2022 Maties 2023 NWU Pukke 2024– Central National team Years Team Caps Goals 2023 South Africa U21 10 (1) 2022-present South Africa 24 (0) 2022-present South Africa Hockey5 4 (0) Last updated on: 4 March 2025
Rugby union career
National sevens team Years Team Comps 2025-present South Africa 8 (5) Correct as of 9 March 2025
Medal record Representing   South Africa Women's field hockey Junior Africa Cup 2023 Ismailia

Kayla Swarts (born 24 May 2003) ^[2] is a South African field hockey and sevens player for the South African national team.

Career

Field hockey

Under–21

Swarts made her debut for the 2023 Junior Africa Cup in Ismailia ^[3] and 2023 Hockey Junior World Cup in Santiago. ^[4]

National team

Swarts made her debut for the FIH Nations Cup in Valencia. ^{[5] [6]}

Rugby union

National sevens team

Between 2024, she represented the Springbok Women’s Sevens A team team in the Dubai 7s International tournaments. ^{[7] [8]} The 2025 World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series represented the Springbok Women’s Sevens team. ^[9]

Personal life

She was living with her mother and father, Odessa Swarts (née Krause) ^[10] and Steven Swarts, in Bloemfontein. ^[11] Her brother, Wayde van Niekerk also is a South African track and field sprinter who competes in the 200 and 400 metres. ^{[12] [13] [14] [15]} She is the cousin of South African World Cup-winning rugby union and rugby sevens player Cheslin Kolbe. ^[16]

She attended Eunice High School. ^[17]

References

1. @kayla.swarts (31 March 2024). "Central girlies" – via Instagram.
2. "FIH Hockey Women's Nations Cup Spain 2022 - Teams". FIH.
3. "South African Women's U21 team named for the African Qualifier". SA Hockey Association. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
4. "SA Hockey U21 Women named for Junior World Cup". SA Hockey Association. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
5. "Team Details – South Africa". tms.fih.ch. International Hockey Federation . Retrieved 26 December 2022.
6. "SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN'S HOCKEY SQUADS HAVE BEEN SELECTED". sasportspress.co.za. SA Sports Press . Retrieved 26 December 2022.
7. "SA Sevens' future on display with 'A'-sides in Dubai". SA Rugby. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
8. "Wayde van Niekerk's sister heads to Dubai Sevens". rugby365.com. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
9. "Swarts, Willemse named in Bok Women Sevens squad for Challenger opener". SA Rugby. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
10. du Plessis, Clement. "How Wayde's mom blazed the trail for her son". News24. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
11. Wayde's Olympic glory: what his parents have to say Archived 24 January 2018 at the Wayback Machine , IOL
12. Abrahams, Celine (7 June 2020). "gsport4girls - Kayla Swarts Running Her Own Race". gsport4girls. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
13. Jager, Johann de. "Wayde se suster haal SA vrouehokkiespan". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). Retrieved 13 March 2023.
14. Piek, Morgan (22 August 2016). "Wayde's family arrives back in Bloem". Bloemfontein Courant. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
15. de Villiers, Ockert (12 January 2024). "Wayde van Niekerk and sister set to share Olympic stage at Paris 2024". Olympics.
16. Roberts, Cheryl. "Wayde van Niekerk and Cheslin Kolbe are both products of champion parents". Cape Argus .
17. "Two Eunice ladies in SA U21 hockey team Congratulations to Kayla Swarts (2021) … – Eunice High School".

External links

• Kayla Swarts at the International Hockey Federation
• Kayla Swarts at the South African Hockey Association
• Kayla Swarts at Olympics.com