You can tell him nothing about challenges. After all, he is swimmer who has represented his province, North West, at national level. Hours of sweating in the gym? No problem. In fact, it is all that sweating in the water and with weights that built those shoulders on which his next challenge, and his next responsibility, rests.

The 18-year-old Janco Viljoen, a matriculant of Rustenburg High School, has enrolled as a first-year BSc student in Animal Sciences at the North-West University (NWU) this year. His new home is the NWU’s campus in Mahikeng and the Dr James Moroka men’s residence.

 “To live on your own and prepare your own food is quite an adjustment,” he laughs. Then there are also the new academic commitments. “It is much more work than we had to do at school,” he confesses.

“Mahikeng was the best option for me. I have always had a passion for farming, and here I can realise that. The campus offers the right subjects that I need and I am really looking forward to completing my degree here.”

Because, after that, this very same degree will be his passport to a career that he hopes to kick off abroad.

His adventure at the NWU indeed kicked off hobbling on one good foot. He broke his foot four week ago and now he has to get along with a moon boot.

“Fortunately I know quite a lot of people who study with me, and this helps a lot.”

The boot is coming off in two weeks’ time and then he can once again pursue everything physical with abandon. Fit for the road ahead.

Ready for action, that is what Janco Viljoen is.