Personal information | |
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Born | Pretoria, South Africa | 11 February 1986
Sport | |
Country | South Africa |
Sport | Para-athletics |
Disability class | T37 |
Events | |
Medal record |
Sheryl James (born 11 February 1986) is a South African Paralympic athlete. [1] She competes in 100, 200 and 400 metres sprinting events. She is a bronze medalist at the World Para Athletics Championships and also at the Summer Paralympics. [2]
James was born with cerebral palsy and hemiplegia in the right side of her body due to a lack of oxygen at birth. [2] She began competing at a competitive level in 2018 at the age of 32. [2]
At the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships, James won the bronze medal in the women's 400 metres. [3]
At the 2020 Summer Paralympics (held in 2021), James won the bronze medal in the T37 400m, beating her personal best in 1:03.82, behind China's Jiang Fenfen (1:01.36) and Ukraine's Natalia Kobzar (1:01.47). A few days later, she finished 5th in the T37 100m and 4th in the T37 100m. [4] [5]