SA tears flow at Stade de France over poor form and missed dreams

Tears flowed at Stade de France on Tuesday night. There were tears of frustration from an off-form Lythe Pillay and tears of dashed hopes of narrowly missing an Olympic final for hurdler Rogail Joseph.

And then tears that came from a cruel twist of fate where Zeney Geldenhuys, the other 400m hurdler, mistakenly thought she had qualified for the final after running an incredible lifetime best, only to learn that she had missed out by one spot, by one-tenth of a second. 

Geldenhuys and Joseph both delivered lifetime bests in the women’s semifinals, but in the end they still weren’t fast enough to make the final.

Geldenhuys had run in the first semifinal and finished third in 53.90sec, making her only the second South African to dip under 54 seconds.

Then Joseph flew around the track in the second semifinal in 54.12, also finishing third.

Suddenly they were the second- and fourth-fastest South Africans of all time — Myrtle Bothma, owner of the 53.74 mark from 1986, is still No.1.

And more importantly they were on track to qualify for the final as the two fastest losers — the first two finishers from each of the three semifinals and the next two fastest advanced to the final.

The duo stood together to watch the final third semifinal where Dutch phenom Femke Bol set the pace.

And it was fast. Jamaican Shiann Salmon took third place in 53.13 and Canadian Savannah Sutherland came fourth in 53.80, snatching the last two qualifying spots from under their noses.

Joseph went through to the media first. “That was a fight and I’m really proud to be in the semifinal and it was an honour for me,” said the coaching sciences student from North West University, drying her eyes with a towel.

“It is going to motivate me to work hard for next year’s world champs.”

And then came the most bizarre scenario. Somehow Geldenhuys was under the impression she had qualified — it is believed a track official had told her incorrectly that she had got through — and when she arrived to speak to the South African journalists, she spoke about the thrill of getting into the final.

When she was informed by a Team South Africa official that she had not in fact made the eight-lane final, her joy switched to disbelief and sorrow in an instant.

In the men’s 400m semifinals neither Pillay nor Zakithi Nene advanced to the final.

Pillay had to compose himself in the media interview, and even when a Team South Africa official suggested he leave, he declined, insisting on facing up to the questions. 

“It’s just so frustrating,” he said, his voice shaking. “Been consistent the whole year, I’ve done all that I could and I get here and things just don’t click as I’ve been preparing.”

Pillay said his preparations at the training camp in Montpellier had gone well. “I was getting all the splits, I was getting PBs in training ... it just feels like the wheels have fallen off. I don’t have answers. It would be easier to say ‘I’m sick’ or ‘have an injury’, but I honestly have no answer and it’s shattering ...

“It’s sport, it happens.”

But now Pillay has to get ready for the men’s 4x400m relay heats on Friday.

With Benjamin Richardson out of the 4x100m relay, the 4x400m could be South Africa’s last chance of a medal in Paris. But Pillay, Nene, Wayde van Niekerk and whoever else is chosen to run as the fourth must be on form.

“I have to get myself together, I have a team to run for and I have to be strong for them, for myself,” said Pillay. “It’s a nice vibe, but I do feel like I owe a responsibility to my team to be at my best because it’s not just about me, it’s about us. Obviously I don’t want to let down to the team, I want to be able to contribute.”

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