Blast from the past: Cloete soars to high jump gold double

Today in SA sports history: August 31

1980 — Chris Burger dies about 12 hours after suffering a broken neck in a Currie Cup match between Western Province and Free State in Bloemfontein. Burger, a utility player, was at fullback for WP on the day. He had been caught in possession deep inside his own half and a maul formed. Burger is believed to have suffered the fatal injury when two Free State players charged in and collapsed the maul. After all the players got up, Burger continued to lie there, motionless but conscious. Just before the start of the match both teams had stood for a minute’s silence to honour Free State prop Rampie Stander, who had collapsed and died after a training session just three days earlier. Free State won the encounter 7-6.

1996 — The Springboks score a consolation win as they beat New Zealand 32-22 at Ellis Park in the final Test, reducing the series deficit to 1-2. Scrumhalf Joost van der Westhuizen went over for two tries and fullback Andre Joubert one. The All Blacks also scored three tries, but flyhalf Henry Honiball and Joubert kicked five penalties between them.

2003 — Hestrie Cloete gives SA a double high-jump gold at the world championships in Paris as she dominates her event to win by 6cm. Cloete, the defending champion from 2001, sailed to victory in a 2.06m SA record, adding to the men’s high-jump gold Jacques Freitag had won a few days earlier. On the same day, Mbulaeni Mulaudzi took the 800m bronze behind Djabir Said-Guerni of Algeria and Russia’s Yuriy Borzakovskiy, who would beat the South African again at the Olympics the next year.

2003 — Rowers Ramon Di Clemente and Donovan Cech win their third consecutive world championship medal, taking bronze in the men’s pair in Milan.

2004 — Not even a century by Jacques Kallis can save the Proteas from a 5-0 ODI series whitewash defeat against Sri Lanka, losing the final match in Colombo by 49 runs. Chasing 309 for victory, SA were all out for 259, with only Kallis (101) and Jacques Rudolph (48) offering the visitors any hope. Spinner Upul Chandana took 5/61. 

2005 — In a local derby, Isaac Hlatshwayo outpoints Cassius Baloyi at Carnival City to win the marginal IBO’s vacant lightweight title.   

2007 — Mzonke Fana makes the first defence of his IBF junior-lightweight title when he knocks out Javier Osvaldo Alvarez of Argentina in the ninth round in Klerksdorp.

2008 — Herschelle Gibbs scores 74 off 75 balls, but it’s not enough as the Proteas lose the weather-shortened fourth ODI against England by seven wickets. SA made 183/6 off 32.1 overs. England, chasing 137 from over 20 overs, got there with 14 balls to spare, thanks to Kevin Pietersen’s 40 off 34 deliveries and Andrew Flintoff’s 31 from 12 balls. The victory gave England a 4-0 lead in the five-match series.

2012 — Hashim Amla once again top-scores for the Proteas, but his 43 isn’t enough as SA go down by four wickets in the third ODI against England at The Oval. Eoin Morgan hit 73 off 67 balls to guide England to the 213 victory target with two overs remaining and to level the five-match series at 1-1.