Marlie Viljoen
Marlie Viljoen is South African sprinter who primarily competes over 400 metres, and I which she was a gold medalist at the 2021 Summer World University Games. She went on to compete for South Africa at the 2023 and 2025 World Athletics Championships.
Biography
Viljoen started running in high school before studying at the University of Pretoria, where she undertook a master's degree in marketing management. Initially, she was a long-distance runner before she transitioned down to 800 metres and 400 metres.She won the gold medal over 400 metres at the delayed 2021 Summer World University Games held in Chengdu, China, in August 2023. Later that month, she competed in the women's 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
In March 2025, in Tshwane, she was a member of South African women's relay team which broke the South African national record alongside Miranda Coetzee, Shirley Nekhubui and Zenéy Geldenhuys who ran 3:28.30 to take 0.19 seconds off the previous best mark of 3:28.49 which was set by Caster Semenya, Jeanelle Griessel, Wenda Nel and Justine Palframan at the African Athletics Championships in Durban in 2016.
She won a silver medal in the Mixed 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2025 Summer World University Games held in Bochum, Germany, in July 2025. She also competed in the individual 400 metres at the Games, reaching the semi-finals.
At the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, she competed for South Africa in the women's 4 x 400 metres.