DAVID ISAACSON | High hopes for SA Olympic glory after Simbine’s stunning win

The media hotel I stayed in at the 2004 Olympics was a university residence, though my room’s unfettered view of the Acropolis towering above Athens was in the five-star range.

That has been the most magnificent view I’ve enjoyed in all my travels abroad over the years, as opposed to my regular vista of messy alleyways, small balconies full of drying laundry or sun-blocking skyrises.

Of course, we journalists don’t spend much time in our accommodations, running between sports venues every day.

As I recall I ate supper in the canteen at my Athens lodging only twice in the three weeks I was there, but during one of those meals I overheard a conversation between other journalists that was as memorable as my vista.

“You know,” said an American press woman. “The best part of these Olympics so far was the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay. How great it was to see a country like South Africa beating the top nations like the US.”

She was referring to that incredible second night of the Games when Roland Schoeman, Lyndon Ferns, Darian Townsend and Ryk Neethling won SA’s first Olympic gold of the new millennium in a world-record time, beating powerhouses such as the Netherlands and US.

There’s something different about a team triumph compared with an individual victory because getting four top people to perform at the highest level has challenges separate to a single person shining.

Wayde van Niekerk breaking Michael Johnson’s 400m world mark to take the Olympic crown at Rio 2016 was an incredible moment, arguably SA’s greatest athletics performance to date.

But what a pity there was no 4x400m relay for Van Niekerk to compete in that year.

At London 2012 Cameron van der Burgh won the 100m breaststroke in a world record and Chad le Clos downed Michael Phelps to take the 200m butterfly title and, later, the 100m ’fly silver.

SA had the fastest middle 200m of the medley relay in the world, but lacked the backstroker to be competitive. Van der Burgh and Le Clos combining to win an extra medal for SA would have added a different spice.

The lightweight men’s four that claimed rowing gold in London was another special team performance, but by and large SA’s Olympic medals have been won by individuals.

Team medals are rare, certainly for this country.

I’m convinced Akani Simbine is going to win our first Olympic 100m medal since London 1908 and, largely because of him, the men’s 4x100m relay has another great shot at the podium.

Simbine powered SA to gold at the World Relays in Poland at the weekend, making up a metre or so to dip his Brazilian rival on the line, though the South Americans were subsequently disqualified.

SA’s 38.71 sec winning time on Sunday was pretty slow for a relay and the last occasion that was quick enough to make an Olympic podium was at Montreal 1976. But before one gets too harsh, the temperature in Poland was a debilitating 7ºC.

Simbine and the boys will surely need to break the 37.65 SA mark to medal in Japan, but that is within their grasp.

The 4x100m relay is about fast handovers and China and Japan have shown that you don’t need an individual star to win a medal. 

But Simbine brings impressive firepower. He has been showing off his talents on the international stage since 2014, when he produced another strong run to take SA to fourth place at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Only one other anchor (the final runner of the team) was quicker than Simbine that night in Scotland, Jamaican superman Usain Bolt.

Another boost for SA at World Relays was that the men’s 4x400m team finished fifth in the final to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, giving Van Niekerk the option of another run in Japan, though he’s equally capable of slotting into the 4x100m.

Thanks to the efforts of the 4x100m team, SA is growing a long-overdue relay culture.

Long may it last.