Pink rose named after Hestrie
2006-03-21 23:06
Pretoria- Hestrie Cloete bloomed on the athletic fields of the world for seven seasons before a pink rose was named after her - one and a half years after she had quit.
The high jumper, who twice became world champion, beamed while her husband, singer Jurie Els, sang Rainbows and Roses and You Are My Best Friend at the launch of the rose at Ludwig's Roses outside Pretoria.
"Look at the silver inside," said Cloete, who twice won two silver medals at the Olympics, indicating the inner petals of the rose.
The launch of the rose formed part of Ludwig's Roses' 35th anniversary.
"The last time I was so proud was when I had won my last medal at the Olympic Games in Athens," said Cloete.
"It is a great honour to have a rose named after me. Our garden is overflowing with them. This rose thrives, especially when it's pampered."
Ludwig Taschner, who cultivated the rose, said the Hestrie Els rose "has a fantastic shape flower artists are going to be crazy about".
Taschner, who provided 8 000 roses for the couple's wedding last year, said the Bles Bridges rose he cultivated 10 years ago is one of the most popular roses in the United States.
"For some reason it is not as popular in South Africa," he said.
At the end of the ceremony, Els, after whom a rose was named six years ago, proudly distributed Hestrie Els roses to visitors. "I might not be Bles Bridges, but I may certainly hand out roses," he joked.
Cloete's mind kept wandering to the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne on Tuesday. "When is Shaun (Brownes) running? I would like to watch him," she said. "I'm very excited about Sunette Viljoen (javelin, gold), Janus (Robberts, shot put, gold) and Geraldine (Pillay, 100 m, silver), who have won medals.
"I'm especially pleased for Janus, who had eventually won gold. Tell him he may smoke an extra cigarette," she said with a naughty smile.
Later on Tuesday another former Olympic friend of hers, discus thrower Elizna Naude, also won gold.
"It's wonderful news about Elizna. I wish I could hand her - and every one of the others - a rose today," she said.