KAYLA Swarts may just be a hockey rookie and in awe of tennis superstars such as Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz wandering around the Olympic Village, but she is bound to be hounded for selfies from other athletes, too.
Why?
Because she is the sister of Olympic 400m champion and world record holder Wayde van Niekerk.
In fact, according to Swarts, who is only 21 and 11 years younger than her sibling Wayde, they are often mistaken as twins.
“When we are in America a lot of people think we are twins and they all want pictures of us,” Swarts beamed.
Swarts and Van Niekerk’s presence together at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is of huge significance.
Their mother, Odessa Swarts, was a top track and field sprinter during the 1980s, but was denied the opportunity of representing South Africa at the Olympics due to apartheid.
But now Odessa has the opportunity of not only celebrating Van Niekerk’s achievements, but her daughter also becoming an Olympian.
Swarts will be part of the South African Women’s Hockey team to face Australia tomorrow.
The former Eunice Girls High prodigy is hugely excited to be meeting up with Van Niekerk, who flew in early to Paris just to join his sister at last night’s opening ceremony.
“I think it’s so special that I get to share this opportunity with my brother, and I’m really looking forward to making so many memories with him,” Swarts said.
“He always just tells me ‘to be present and take in every single moment because you don’t want to look back and regret not having fun or doing certain things with your teammates’. He always tells me to just be grounded and be present in the moment. He said he’ll be my wingman, and show me the ropes.”
Swarts, however, knows that hanging out with her brother on the River Seine and “going crazy” for the likes of Nadal and Alcaraz is not why she’s in Paris.
The SA Women’s Hockey team have a tough schedule, starting against the mighty Aussies tomorrow (12.45pm), Argentina (Monday, 5.30pm), Great Britain (Wednesday, 10.30am), Spain (Friday, 5.30pm) and the US (Sunday, 1.15pm).
She does, however, feel that the preparations the side has undergone since the beginning of the year will stand them in good stead.
“It’s been a really surreal experience being my first Olympics, seeing the Olympics Village for the first time,” she said.
“Being surrounded by athletes that you have looked up to your whole life. It’s so cool that my dreams have finally become a reality.
“I’ll be honest, with Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, I wasn’t able to (control my emotions). We all jumped to get photos of them because I think it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but with the rest, I think you just have to ground yourself and know that you’re here for a reason.
“We’re all in a professional setup, so understanding that you can’t go crazy for athletes because we’re all focused and focused on what we’re here for.
“We had a Test series against France at the beginning of the year, and that set off our Olympic journey.
“And then had a training camp in China and India. We were there for six weeks which was quite tough and physical.
“Our last bit of prep was here in Europe. We played France again, and matches against Holland and China.
“We’ve had a really long preparation process. All the girls are buzzing and ready to start and get going.
“We trust our preparation. We know Australia and Argentina won’t be easy games. We will try to grind through those matches, but definitely will try to get points off the USA, Great Britain and Spain. Our goal right now is to try and get to the quarter-finals.”