South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated Kirsten Neuschäfer - the first woman to win a round-the-world solo yacht race.
The South African sailor completed an eight-month long solo journey winning the 2022 Golden Globe Race in which she was the only woman participating.
Congratulating Kristen Neuschäfer, President Ramaphosa described her as ''our world-class sailing star.''
In a tweet on Sunday, the South African leader said ''we are proud of you, Kirsten!'' for winning the ''prestigious and demanding Golden Globe Race.''
Kirsten Neuschäfer, 40, started the trip on September 4 last year spending nearly 235 days in the solo world tour.
She completed the tour after crossing the finish line off Les Sables-d'Olonne in France on Thursday night which coincided with South Africa's Freedom Day.
Kristen Neuschäfer crossed the finish line around 10 hours behind competitor, Simon Curwen, but the British sailor was relegated because he had been forced to make a land stop for repairs.
During her journey, Neuschäfer rescued Finnish sailor Tapio Lehtinen whose boat had sunk in the heart of the Indian Occean.
The Golden Globe Race was conceived in 1968 as a non-stop, round-the-world solo yacht race.
A sailors have to leave from a port and return to the same port traveling around the world passing through oceans - some of them hostile without stopping. Competitors are required to sail without GPS and other modern technology.
Soon after returning to her point of departure, Kristen said "I am very happy to see all the people and this extraordinary atmosphere'' describing her experience as ''the most memorable.''
