Is SA's Olympics target possible, or pie in the sky?

The last time South Africa won more than six medals at an Olympics, the first passenger jets had just come into service and humankind had yet to blast off into space.

But that's the target the High Performance Centre in Pretoria has set for their own athletes at the 2016 Games in Rio - seven.

That would be more than the nation has managed at the world's biggest multisport showpiece since 1952, when South Africa bagged 10 medals - their best since then has been six, at London 2012 and Athens 2004.

HPC chief executive Toby Sutcliffe reiterated his target of seven at a breakfast function in honour of his athletes yesterday - this year alone they won five Commonwealth Games medals, two rowing World Championship gongs and captured one podium finish at the canoeing World Championships.

Their stars include newly signed swimmer Cameron van der Burgh, canoeist Bridgitte Hartley, rowers including new world champions John Smith and James Thompson and resurgent triple-jumper Khotso Mokoena. They have all claimed Olympic silverware before.

Throw in 400m hurdler Cornel Fredericks and triathlete Richard Murray and there are at least seven medal opportunities - possibly more if some of the younger hopefuls come through by then.

Van der Burgh confirmed that his left shoulder had healed nicely since surgery, and Shaun Keeling - who took a rowing World Champs bronze in the men's pairs with Vincent Breet - is waiting to get the thumbs up to return to full training after his shoulder operation.

LJ van Zyl, who has been off the boil since running the world's fastest 400m hurdles time of 2011, is confident he will return to his best next year.

Fredericks has become comfortable with his new status as one of the world's best.

Suddenly seven medals in Rio seems realistic.