Marlie Viljoen
Viljoen at the 2023 African Games | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 1 August 2000 | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||
Event | Sprint | |||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 200m: 23.83 (Potchefstroom, 2024) 400m: 51.42 (Pretoria, 2025) 800m: 2:11.34 (Pretoria, 2023) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Marlie Viljoen (born 1 August 2000) is South African sprinter who primarily competes over 400 metres, and I which she was a gold medalist at the 2021 Summer World University Games. She went on to compete for South Africa at the 2023 and 2025 World Athletics Championships.[1]
Biography
Viljoen started running in high school before studying at the University of Pretoria, where she undertook a master's degree in marketing management. Initially, she was a long-distance runner before she transitioned down to 800 metres and 400 metres.[2]
She won the gold medal over 400 metres at the delayed 2021 Summer World University Games held in Chengdu, China, in August 2023.[3] Later that month, she competed in the women's 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.[2][4]
In March 2025, in Tshwane, she was a member of South African women's 4 × 400 m relay team which broke the South African national record alongside Miranda Coetzee, Shirley Nekhubui and Zenéy Geldenhuys who ran 3:28.30 to take 0.19 seconds off the previous best mark of 3:28.49 which was set by Caster Semenya, Jeanelle Griessel, Wenda Nel and Justine Palframan at the African Athletics Championships in Durban in 2016.[5]
She won a silver medal in the Mixed 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2025 Summer World University Games held in Bochum, Germany, in July 2025.[6] She also competed in the individual 400 metres at the Games, reaching the semi-finals.[7]
At the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, she competed for South Africa in the women's 4 x 400 metres.[8]
References
- ^ "Marlie Viljoen". World Athletics. Retrieved 20 Sep 2025.
- ^ a b "Paris 2024 next stop for Chengdu golden girl". Fisu.net. 6 Sep 2023. Retrieved 20 Sep 2025.
- ^ "FISU World University Games". World Athletics. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "World Athletics Championships, Budapest 2023". World Athletics. 27 August 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "SOUTH AFRICAN RECORDS TUMBLE AT ASA GRAND PRIX 1 IN TSHWANE". gsport.co.za. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
- ^ "FISU World University Games". World Athletics. 27 July 2025. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ Molefe, Mazola (22 July 2025). "Marlie Viljoen cautious with 400m title on the line". Retrieved 20 Sep 2025.
- ^ "World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025". World Athletics. 13 Sep 2025. Retrieved 20 September 2025.