With the Tokyo Olympic Games just two days away, South Africans will once again soon be able to follow their favourite sports and athletes this year. South Africa has a great chance to achieve their best result yet at an Olympic Games this year, having selected the biggest contingent in history.
South Africa claimed 10 medals at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and will look to better that in Tokyo. Over the course of history (pre and post isolation).
SA has collected a total of 86 medals (26 gold, 31 silver and 29 bronze) SA’s best showing in terms of medals (10) was in Rio 2016, Antwerp 1920 and Helsinki in 1952. Since South Africa return from isolation at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, SA has won a total of 35 medals. This includes 10 gold medals, 16 silver and 9 bronze medals.
Some of South Africa’s standout moments includes Elana Meyer’s silver in the 1500m in 1992. Penny Heyns winning two gold medals at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, and local 800m specialist from Potch, Hezekiel Sepeng taking silver in the 800m in 1996.
Josia Thugwane also won the first gold medal in the marathon race in an iconic finish. He became the first black athlete from SA to win a gold medal at an Olympic Games.
Sydney 2000, did not present SA athletes with a gold medal but a silver from Terence Parkin (men’s 200m breast stroke) and Hestrie Cloete (High Jump). Frantz Kruger (discus), Llewellyn Herbert (400m hurdles) and Penny Heyns (100m breaststroke) won bronze medals.
Athens was one of the biggest highlights for SA’s Olympic team especially in the swimming pool. The men’s 4x100m relay final saw Lyndon Ferns, Darian Townsend, Ryk Neethling and Roland Schoeman win gold in a major upset against a strong American and Australian line-up. Schoeman also won silver in the mens’ 100m freestyle and bronze in the men’s 50m freestyle. Hestrie Cloete repeated her feat in Sydney with another silver medal, whilst the late, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi took silver in the men’s 800m race. Athens was also the first time that SA’s rowers stepped up their game with Donovan Cech and Ramon di Clemente taking bronze in the men’s coxless pair race.
Beijing 2008 was a dark time for SA in the sense that only Khotso Mokoena won a medal in the men’s long jump.
The London Olympic Games in 2012 was a real gold rush for SA, with the team winning four gold medals. In the swimming pool, Chad le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh won the 200m butterfly and 100m breaststroke, respectively. Le Clos also won silver in the men’s 100m butterfly. Sizwe Ndlovu, Matthew Brittain, John Smith and Jams Thompson won gold in the men’s rowing lightweight four event. Bridgitte Hartley won bronze in the women’s K1 500m canoeing event.
On the track, Caster Semenya won her first Olympic Games gold medal in the women’s 800m event.
Rio 2016 was the famous Olympics where Wayde van Niekerk burst onto the scene with a World Record run in the men’s 400m race to take home gold. Semenya won gold again in the 800m race – which now looks to be her final participation in the Olympic Games. Le Clos and Van der Burgh won silver medals, whilst Luvo Manyonga (long jump) and Sunette Viljoen (javelin) also won silver. Shaun Keeling and Lawrence Brittain won silver in the men’s coxless pair rowing event.
SA’s rugby talent also shined on the big stage with the Blitzboks taking bronze in the rugby sevens. Henri Schoeman made it 10 medals when he took bronze in the men’s triathlon to cap a superb Olympic Games. Now in a Covid-19 world, SA will look to bring hope to a country desperate for some good news – a record medal haul in 2021 in Tokyo might just be the tonic to give back hope to a nation.
