Manchester Thunder player Lenize Potgieter's battle against mental health is inspiring
Local netball star Lenize Potgieter has been in the spotlight as South Africa hosts the 2023 Netball World Cup and is an integral part of South Africa’s national netball team. But, she was hailed a hero after opening up in January 2022 about her mental health struggles, which made her a standout figure in women's netball beforehand. What do we know about the talented netball player?
Source: Getty Images
The local netball national team was dealt a blow recently when star player Lenize Potgieter was ruled out of the rest of the Netball World Cup due to injury. Despite attempting to work through her injuries, with both knees heavily wrapped up, Lenzie has officially been ruled out of the rest of the games as she needed more time to recover. Here is her profile summary before we discuss her life and career.
Profile summary and bio
| Full name | Lenize Potgieter |
| Date of birth | 2 May 1994 |
| Age | 30 years of age (2023) |
| Zodiac sign | Taurus |
| Birthplace | Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa |
| Current nationality | South African |
| Ethnicity | Caucasian |
| Gender | Female |
| Height | 188 cm |
| Hair colour | Dark blonde |
| Eye colour | Brown |
| Profession | Professional netball player |
| Education | Hoërskool Menlopark and University of Pretoria |
| Social media profiles | InstagramLinkedIn |
The Potgieter surname origin is Germanic, with the English-equivalent word being 'potter'. It is derived from the Westphalian occupational term 'Pottgieser,' which is either a 'potter' or a 'smith who crafts pots and pans.' Specific personal details like Lenize Potgieter's net worth and romantic relationships remain undisclosed. .
Where did Potgieter share her diagnosis?
Lenize Potgieter's mental health issues came to light in early 2022 after publicly opening up on her struggles following a six-month break from netball following a nervous breakdown. She told BBC Sport Africa: 'I want to start the conversation about mental health because ultimately that is more important than physical health.'
Following her move to Australia in May 2021 to play for the Adelaide Thunderbirds, the player began to feel lonely and homesick, which led to her returning. But, her problems just exacerbated.
She stated: 'I think there were so many things that were building up; with the netball and the stress and travelling, jetlag, COVID, quarantine this past couple of years, no stability at all, and then a betrayal when I got back.'
The sports star elaborated: 'I was not training, feeling sad, not excited to go and play the sport that I love so much and crying. Every morning I woke up, and I cried. My mom slept next to me because if she did not, I would not go to sleep - but at least if she was there, I cried myself to sleep. In five days I lost seven kilos.'
After she cried before boarding a plane to attend training camp, she realised she needed professional help. It was soon after that Potgieter was diagnosed with major depression disorder and was 'not surprised' by the diagnosis.
Her dedication to putting her mental health above all else, including her sports career, and openly discussing her struggles is what made many see her with newfound respect and gratitude.
Source: Getty Images
Lenize Potgieter's age
Born on 2 May 1994, Lenize will be 30 years old in 2023. Her zodiac sign is Taurus.
Lenize Potgieter's height
The beloved netball player's height is 188 cm. The average netball player's height is between 167,64 cm and 188,97 cm.
Lenize Potgieter's education
Although Lenize was born in Pretoria, she was raised in Polokwane, Limpopo. Lenize returned to Pretoria in her adolescent years and attended Hoërskool Menlopark upon her return. She then attended the University of Pretoria for her tertiary education.
Source: Getty Images
Lenize Potgieter's career
The sports star represented her province of Limpopo at a provincial level throughout her early career, played for the Gauteng Jaguars in the Brutal Fruit Netball Cup for three years, and represented the University of Pretoria in the local varsity championship.
Lenize earned her first international cap in the 2014 Commonwealth Games, which started her ever-growing success. She was signed to Team Bath in the Netball Superleague before representing the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic of the ANZ Premiership in 2017, where she remained for two seasons before moving to Southern Steel before the 2019 season.
She joined the Queensland Firebirds at the end of the 2019 ANZ Premiership season as an injury replacement player for the rest of the Australian domestic season. On 21 June 2019, it was announced that Lenize would play for Adelaide Thunderbirds in the 2020 season.
The netball star has been playing for the Netball Super League team Manchester Thunder since the start of the 2022 season.
Professional netball players each have their shooting style. According to Rookie Me Central, Lenize Potgieter's shooting style is unconventional, and she takes a shot with a 'cool, calm and collected approach.' The rest of the South African netball team players' names and positions are here.
Lenize Potgieter's profiles
Lenize has two forms of social media, Instagram and LinkedIn. Her Instagram handle is @lenizep2, with 18.9K followers. You can find her on LinkedIn under her name and surname, where she has 500+ connections.
Lenize Potgieter is a skilled, well-rounded netball player who is an essential part of the national netball team of South Africa. But, her willingness to be open and vulnerable about her struggles made her gain many new fans who see her as a mental health advocate and positive role model.
READ ALSO: Khanyisa Chawane: age, bio, height, position, profile, SPAR Proteas
Briefly.co.za wrote a biography on Khanyisa Chawane, another skilled player that plays for the SPAR Proteas, the team name of the South African netball national team. Despite being a talented sports figure, what do we know about Khanyisa?
Learn more about her here, including Khanyisa's age, height, netball position and social media profiles.
Source: Briefly News
