Penelope Heyns

Penelope " Penny " Heyns ( born November 8, 1974 in Springs ) is a former South African swimmer.

She celebrated her biggest success in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, when she won both the 100m and the 200m breast as the first woman. Moreover, these were the first gold medals for South Africa after the readmission of the country to the Olympic Games in 1992. At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney she could again win bronze over 100m breaststroke.

In the years 1996 and 1999 she was elected to the World Swimmer of the Year. In 2001, she announced her departure from swimming. In 2007, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the international swimming sport.