Penelope Heyns is the only woman ever to win both the Olympic 100m and 200m breaststroke titles at a single Games – and when she achieved that at Atlanta in 1996, she symbolised the spirit of a new post-apartheid South Africa five years after the nation was readmitted to FINA following years of exclusion imposed by the international community in protest at racist policies.

Among the closest to matching Heyns' feat was fellow South African Tatjana Schoenmakar, the 200m champion and silver medallist in the 100m at Tokyo2020ne, and, racing under her married name of Smith, the 100m champion and 200m silver medallist at Paris 2024.

Born on November 8, 1974 in Springs, Gauteng, South Africa, Penny Heyns moved with her family to a town called Amanzimtoti in Kwazulu Natal when she was a year old. The town name means "the place of sweet waters" in Zulu.

During the 1990s, Heyns, the youngest member of the first post-apartheid South African Olympic team in Barcelona, 1992, enjoyed many a sweet moment in the water between 1995 and 1999.

July 17 and 18 mark the 27th anniversary of the Janet Evans International at which Heyns set the World record in the 200m in both heats and final one day, and then the next repeated the feat in the 100m:

On This Day ... When Penny Heyns Took Down The 100/200 WRs x4: Heats & Final In 2 Days

January - April- The SOS Daily Trawl of official World long-course records (plus all pre 1954 standards, all pools and metrics) set this day throughout history.

State Of Swimming +Craig Lord

Her SOS Hall of Fame Profile Follows