After clinching a silver medal in the long jump at the 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing‚ South African star jumper Khotso Mokoena has now set his eyes on a medal in the triple jump in Rio de Janeiro. “I have one medal for long jump‚ now I’m hoping to get a medal for triple jump. That is all going to depend on whether I can break the national record or not‚” Mokoena said after he was announced as part of the SA team that will represent South Africa at the Games in Brazil next month.The 31-year-old jumper has seen a dip in form recently.But after reuniting with coach Emmarie Fouche just over a month ago after the pair parted ways at the end of last year‚ there was an immediate difference in his performance.After falling short at the Diamond League in Oslo early in June with a triple jump distance of 16.08m‚ the lanky athlete returned to Fouche with a little over a week before the African Champs that were held in Durban.The improvement to a distance of 16.77m gave Mokoena confidence going into the Olympics.“[My] fitness is good now. I’ve been training quite hard‚” he said.“I also took a dip from January‚ February‚ March‚ April and May. It was quite tough.“Three weeks before the African Champs‚ I was jumping in Oslo and I jumped 16.08cm. A week and a half later I jumped 70cm better. That was when I knew that my shape was starting to come together.“I was not with Emmarie [at the Diamond League]‚ I had left her.“Two weeks before the African Champs I went back to her and we sat down and said ‘this is how we are going to do it’ and things had to be different this time. It proved when I got a medal at the African Champs. Now I can’t wait to see what is going to happen next.”While Mokoena has enjoyed more success in the long jump‚ he will focus his efforts in the triple jump in Rio.Triple jump is where he started and went on to win the World Junior title in 2004‚ and a silver medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.Following an ankle injury‚ he switched to long jump in 2007 and the easy transition saw him secure silver at the Olympics in Beijing the following year.It was at the 2014 Commonwealth Games that Mokoena switched back to triple jump and won gold in Scotland.Later that year he set a national record at the IAAF Continental Cup with a distance of 17.35mHe now intends to add an Olympic triple jump medal to the tally of silverware he has won over the years“I’m going for a medal‚ 100 percent‚” he said.“If I can put myself in a position where I am in the top four or top three during the championship while I’m still competing‚ then I know I can fight for a medal.”- TMG Digital..