1960 — South Africa’s 400m hurdles world record-holder Gert Potgieter is seriously injured in a motor accident at Edencoven in West Germany, ruling him out of the upcoming Olympic Games in Rome. He was a passenger in a car driven by track and field teammate, sprinter Edward Jefferys, who suffered a cut above an eye and was able to return to training a week later. Potgieter, however, underwent surgery and lost the sight in his left eye. Defending champion Glenn Davis of America rated Potgieter as his only real challenge. “I regarded Gert as the only man I had to beat. He is a wonderful runner and I would say he had a very strong chance of beating me,” said Davis, who went on to retain his crown. The accident ended Potgieter’s career as a world-class athlete and underlined his run of poor luck. At the 1956 Olympics he was placing second in the 400m hurdles final when he fell going over the final hurdle and finished last. In 1957 he broke his neck playing rugby.
2000 — Hendrick Mokganyetsi wins the only Golden League race of his career, finishing first in the 400m at the Weltklasse Zurich.
2008 — The Proteas lose the fourth and final Test to England by six wickets in London, but still take the series 2-1.
2008 — Charlize van der Westhuizen takes 4/30 as the South African women dismiss England for 185 on their way to losing the third ODI against England in Shenley by 77 runs, dropping to an irreparable 0-3 down in the five-match series.
2010 — Katlego Mphela scores in the 42nd minute to give Bafana Bafana a 1-0 win over Ghana, Africa’s top performers at the recent World Cup, in a friendly at Soccer City. It was Pitso Mosimane’s first match in charge as national coach.
2012 — Caster Semenya powers from back of the field to take the Olympic 800m silver at the London Games. The South African clocked 1 min 57.23 sec to finish second behind Russian Mariya Savinova, who was later stripped of the gold for doping.
2016 — Cancer survivor Lawrence Brittain and his rowing partner Shaun Keeling fight back from fourth spot with three-quarters of the race gone to claim Olympic silver in the men’s coxless pair at the Rio Games. Later that day the South African rugby sevens team won bronze by beating Japan 54-14. But there was an element of disappointment after the Blitzboks had lost to a make-shift British team 5-7 in the semifinals.
2016 — Andrie Steyn scores 43 as the South African women are bowled out for 143 on their way to losing the fourth and final ODI against Ireland in Dublin by seven wickets.
2019 — Brad Binder wins the Austrian motorcycle grand prix in Spielberg for his first triumph of the season.
2024 — Keshav Maharaj takes four wickets for a match haul of eight as South Africa and West Indies play to a draw in the first Test at Port of Spain.
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