Olympic javelin silver medallist Sunette Viljoen-Louw eyes T20 Cricket World Cup

Sunette Viljoen Louw has shifted her eyes back to cricket. The South African athlete mapped out the perfect plan to represent her country at the 2023 ICC Women's T20 Cricket World Cup, scheduled to take place in February.

After dedicating two decades to Javelin throwing and winning a medal at the Olympics, Louw decided to start from where she left off.

The Transvaal athlete represented South Africa in international cricket and played one Test and 17 ODIs. However, she then developed an interest in javelin throwing and pursued a career.

Cricket has been her passion, and finally, she is back to her first love. Speaking about her game change, the 39-year-old athlete told Olympics.com:

"Since I missed out on Tokyo, I quickly shifted my dream. My goal was to be selected for the T20 World Cup. It was my goal to be selected for the South African team."

"But as they say, control the controllable," she added. "I only have control over the number of runs I score and what I do on the field. I am proud of everything I have achieved in a very short time."

Notably, Sunette Viljoen has won dozens of medals in the Javelin throw since 2003. She won a gold medal at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games.

Louw also represented her country at the 2016 Rio Games and won a silver medal. She also played for South Africa in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.

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The early and professional life of Sunette Viljoen

Born on October 6, 1983, Sunette Viljoen made her international cricket debut in June 2000 in an ODI match against England.

She was just 17 when she joined the international team and became the youngest women's player to play for South Africa. She was lucky to be selected in the South African squad and feature in the 2000 Women's World Cup.

Her last match was a Test match against India in 2002, before she shifted her focus to javelin.

Viljoen represented South Africa at the 2003 World Championship, where she finished 16th. She won her first medal at the 2003 All-African Games and then competed at the Afro-Asian Games, where she won a gold medal.

Sunette Viljoen played in the Commonwealth Games that took place in Melbourne, Australia, and won a gold medal after throwing a spear at 60.72 m. She has won 10 golds, four silvers, and five bronze medals.

Viljoen returned to play cricket in December 2021, joining the Northern team, and now has her eyes set on the 2023 T20 ICC World Cup.

It is pertinent to note that the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup will take place in South Africa between February 10 and 26. Ten countries will participate in the competition. Australia defeated India by 85 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to lift the trophy in 2020.

Bangladesh and Ireland joined the World Cup via qualifying tournaments. India, Australia, England, New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan were selected based on their rankings, while South Africa made it to the tournament as hosts.