24 Olympics medal opportunities identified by Team SA head coach

10 June 2016 - 17:17 By DAVID ISAACSON

The 2016 edition of Team South Africa is on track to become the country's most successful Olympic outfit of all time, says the country's head coach for the Rio Games in August. Frank Dick said he had identified 24 medal possibilities, of which 13 were probable medals.He said the possibilities came from seven codes - track and field, swimming, rowing, canoeing, rugby Sevens, triathlon and cycling.The most medals won by SA in the Olympics is 10, achieved twice - at Antwerp 1920 and Helsinki 1952. Dick said the men's 4x100m medley relay team, which stars Olympic swimming champions Chad le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh, was on his list.While Dick was mum on his medal hopes, it doesn't take rocket science to work most of them out.Caster Semenya (800m) and Wayde van Niekerk (400m) will lead the charge in athletics, where there are several other hopes, including Sunette Viljoen (javelin), walker Lebo Shange, long-jumpers Ruswahl Samaai, Luvo Manyonga and Zarck Visser, and the men's 400m hurdlers, LJ van Zyl and Cornel Fredericks. Le Clos and Van der Burgh are on course to deliver another three individual medals in Rio, and the Blitz Boks will expect to make the podium.Rowing, with five powerful crews at the Games, is capable of delivering two or three gongs.Kayaker Bridgitte Hartley can't be discounted, neither can Richard Murray in the triathlon.In road cycling, the men's team of Daryl Impey and Louis Meintjies could upset, as could Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio in the women's event...

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