Hester Bekker is a former international lawn and indoor bowls competitor for

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Bowls career

In 1996, Bekker won the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

in the triples at the

1996 World Outdoor Bowls Championship The 1996 Men's World Outdoor Bowls Championship was held at the Lockleys Bowls Club in Adelaide, Australia, from 18 to 31 March 1996. The 1996 Women's World Outdoor Bowls Championship was held at Victoria Park, Leamington Spa, England ...

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

. Four years later, Bekker just missed out on a bronze medal after losing the triples bronze play off match in

Moama Moama ( or ) is a town in the Riverina district of southern New South Wales, Australia, in the Murray River Council local government area. The town is directly across the Murray River from the larger town of Echuca in the neighbouring state of Vi ...

. She was part of the fours team that won the gold medal at both the

1994 Commonwealth Games The 1994 Commonwealth Games ( French: ''XVéme Jeux du Commonwealth'') were held in Victoria, British Columbia, from 18 to 28 August 1994. Ten types of sports were featured at the Victoria Games: athletics, aquatics, badminton, boxing, cycling, ...

, it was the first time that South Africa had won a gold medal since 1958, following the return from their

Anti-Apartheid Movement The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM), was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-White population who were persecuted by the policie ...

Commonwealth ban enforced in 1961. She won another gold at the

1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel 1998)'', officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel ke-16)'', was a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This edition is marked by several unprecedent ...

. Bekker has won five medals at the

Atlantic Bowls Championships The Atlantic Bowls Championships was a lawn bowling competition held between national bowls organisations in the Atlantic region. The event was a qualifying event for the World Outdoor Bowls Championships until the 2021 announcement that it woul ...

. In 1995 she won triples gold medal and fours silver medal in her home country. Two years later in 1997 she won the fours gold medal in Wales before winning two more medals in Cape Town during 1999, including a third Atlantic Championships gold.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bekker, Hester Living people Date of birth missing (living people) Bowls players at the 1994 Commonwealth Games Bowls players at the 1998 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games gold medallists for South Africa Commonwealth Games medallists in lawn bowls South African female bowls players Bowls World Champions Year of birth missing (living people) Medallists at the 1994 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 1998 Commonwealth Games