Katherine Swanepoel Biography: Age, Net Worth, Partner, Spouse, Height, Wikipedia, Awards

Kat Swanepoel is a South African hero whose strength shines through every challenge. Before swimming, she starred in wheelchair basketball and rugby, earning South African colours in both.

She switched to swimming in 2019 and qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics in just two years, narrowly missing a bronze medal.

A double world champion, she’s won five World Championship medals and set a new African record in the 50m backstroke at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.

Profile

• Full Name: Katherine Swanepoel
• Stage Name: Kat Swanepoel
• Born: August 5, 1987
• Age: 37 years old
• Birthplace: Pretoria, South Africa
• Nationality: South African
• Occupation: Para-Swimmer (S4, SB3, SM4), Occupational Therapist, Motivational Speaker
• Height: Unknown
• Religion: Unknown
• Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Swanepoel
• Siblings: Unknown
• Spouse: None
• Children: None
• Relationship: Single
• Net Worth: $50,000 to $100,000

Early Life & Education

Kat Swanepoel was born on August 5, 1987, in Pretoria, South Africa.

Raised by her parents, called Mr. and Mrs. Swanepoel, she grew up in a supportive home. There’s no information about her siblings, but South Africa’s vibrant spirit shaped her early years.

Her ethnicity is South African, and although her religion is not publicly shared, her life reflects Mzansi’s values of resilience. In 2008, during her final year at the University of Pretoria, Kat began feeling pins and needles in her legs, followed by weakness and vision loss.

Kat Swanepoel excelled in her studies, earning a degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Pretoria. She graduated in 2008, even as her PPMS symptoms began.

Career

Kat Swanepoel’s career is a story of South African courage. She first shone in wheelchair basketball, earning South African colours and starring in the Vodacom Wheelchair Basketball Challenge.

She also played wheelchair rugby, representing Mzansi internationally, often competing against men and holding her own. A neck injury and a massive stroke in Algeria—causing 23 seizures and three days in ICU—ended her rugby and basketball days.

In late 2019, encouraged by her housemate, a sports physiotherapist, Kat took up para-swimming. By April 2021, she set two South African multi-disability records (100m backstroke, 2:14.78; 50m breaststroke, 1:16.79) and qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, where she finished fourth in the 50m backstroke S4, missing bronze by half a second. Between 2022 and 2023, she won five World Championship medals (two gold, two silver, one bronze).

In 2024, despite a surprise reclassification to S4/SM4, which pitted her against athletes with more function, and a shoulder dislocation before the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Kat set a new African record in the 50m backstroke (57.19), finishing 11th. As a flag bearer for Team South Africa, she embodied the pride of Mzansi.

Awards & Nominations

• Gold Medal, World Para Swimming Championships, 2023 (2 medals, events not specified)
• Silver Medal, World Para Swimming Championships, 2022, 2023 (2 medals, events not specified)
• Bronze Medal, World Para Swimming Championships, 2022 (1 medal, event not specified)
• South African Multi-Disability Record, 100m Backstroke, 2021 (2:14.78)
• South African Multi-Disability Record, 50m Breaststroke, 2021 (1:16.79)
• African Record, Women’s 50m Backstroke S4, 2024 (57.19, Paris Paralympics)
• Named to Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans List, 2021
• Team South Africa Flag Bearer, Paris 2024 Paralympics

Social Media

• Instagram handle: @katswanepoel

Personal Life

Kat Swanepoel, 37, keeps her personal life quiet, focusing on her sport and helping others. There’s no public information about marriage or children, and she appears to be single.

Her height isn’t shared, as is common for para-swimmers, where ability matters more. Based in Gauteng, Kat works as an occupational therapist, helping people with disabilities find the right wheelchairs and mobility aids.

Despite her PPMS causing paralysis, blindness in one eye, and hand weakness, she stays positive, saying, “I try not to ruin today by worrying about tomorrow.”

Net Worth

Kat Swanepoel’s estimated net worth is between $50,000 and $100,000.

Her income likely comes from prize money from the World Championships and the Paralympics, sponsorships such as those from Profmed or Vodacom, and her work as an occupational therapist.

Support from the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) may also be a contributing factor.

Para-swimming offers smaller prizes than mainstream sports, but her medals and advocacy work add to her value.