Dowayne
Vallentine

Faith, purpose
and perseverance

Dowayne Vallentine was born with hydrocephalus — water on the brain. After birth, doctors inserted a VP shunt to drain excess fluid, a procedure that saved his life but affected his walking. He lived with his first shunt for 11 years before it became blocked in 2004. Two weeks after a second shunt was inserted, it too became blocked and had to be replaced. He now has his third shunt, which continues to function well.

While attending Eros School, a teacher saw potential in him and encouraged him to try shot put and discus. He competed for the first time at the Nedbank National Championships in 2011, throwing 6.65 metres as a standing thrower and setting his first South African record on debut.

In 2023, he joined Maties ParaSport as a seated shot put thrower under the guidance of coach Daniel Damon. With that support, he has broken his own South African record twice — improving from 8.71m to 8.87m — and he is determined to keep pushing.