If Team South Africa is to keep up its habit of winning Olympic medals in new sports — or disciplines, for that matter — at Paris 2024, golf or mountain-biking will be the likely suspects to step into the limelight.
One could also factor in the men’s 4x100 relay team because, though the nation has won plenty of track and field medals, they’ve never done so in this event.
Candice Lill and Alan Hatherly are looking to break South Africa’s barren stretch of no Olympic cycling medals dating back to Melbourne 1956, when the only options were road and track.
Cross country is yet to get on the scoreboard.
Any of the four golfers has the ability to finesse a spot on the podium.
South Africa has won medals in new sports or disciplines without fail since readmission — surfing at Tokyo 2020; triathlon and rugby sevens at Rio 2016; canoeing at London 2012; long jump at Beijing 2008; rowing at Athens 2004; discus and 400m hurdles at Sydney 2000; breaststroke at Atlanta 1996 and 10,000m at Barcelona 1992.
To find a new sport before that, one would have to go back to Amsterdam 1928 when the women’s 4x100m freestyle team claimed third spot to put swimming on the medals table for the first time.
Make no mistake, the 2024 edition of Team SA will have to rely heavily on the repeat sports if they want to get a decent haul in France. Five and up would be a success story and even four would be something to be proud of. They won three in Tokyo.
A total of 11 codes have won South Africa’s 89 medals over the years, with eight being in on the action since readmission.
Here are South Africa’s top 10 medal hopes — in new and old codes — at the Paris showpiece from Saturday to August 11.
Tatjana Smith
She could be worth two medals again.
Smith is favourite for the 200m breaststroke and will slug it out for a spot on the 100m breaststroke podium in a bid to join Chad le Clos as South Africa’s most decorated Olympian with four gongs. Not only did she win medals in these two races three years ago but so did Penny Heyns in 1996 and 2000.
Alan Hatherly
South Africa’s top-ranked cyclist at second in the world and first on the World Cup series, Hatherly must be considered a great shot to finish in the top three. He ended eighth in Tokyo and Burry Stander was fifth at London 2012. Candice Lill is in action in the women’s race the day before.
Akani Simbine
Taking a medal in the blue riband event of the Games would be huge. Simbine emphasised he was a contender by clocking 9.86sec to finish second at the London Diamond League last weekend, but more impressive was his calm manner afterwards.
That means he will remain methodical and hopefully lethal come the 100m semifinals and final on August 4. The last South African to get a 100m medal was Reggie Walker at London 1908.
Prudence Sekgodiso
The 22-year-old has a chance of landing silverware in the women’s 800m, an event Caster Semenya dominated before World Athletics introduced its regulations for athletes with differences in sex development.
Sekgodiso will need to lower her 1min 57.26sec personal best at least once to make the podium, possibly twice.
Men’s 4x400m relay
If Wayde van Niekerk, Lythe Pillay and Zakithi Nene are at their best in this one, they’ll have a great chance of capturing South Africa’s first medal in this event since 1920.
Jordy Smith
Pundits fancy the veteran for the competition in Tahiti, where the conditions suit his style. A gong would give surfing a second straight medal after Bianca Buitendag’s silver in Tokyo.
Rowing is the only sport outside swimming and athletics to have won medals at consecutive Olympics since readmission. Before that it was boxing (1956 and 1960).
John Smith and Chris Baxter
If these two can finish in the top three, they will win South Africa’s third medal in the men’s pair, after Don Cech and Ramon Di Clemente at Athens 2004 and Lawrence Brittain and Shaun Keeling at Rio 2016.
Smith believes the prevailing wind could play into their hands in Paris.
Henri Schoeman
Nobody expected him to reach the triathlon podium in Rio and he is again off the radar for Paris. So maybe that’s a good omen, though at this stage it’s possible this event will be reduced to a duathlon if the poor water quality of the Seine forces the swimming to be canned.
Men’s 4x100m relay
Simbine, Van Niekerk, Shaun Maswanganyi and Benjamin Richardson will try to land South Africa’s first medal in this event. It was done at a world championships but never at an Olympics.
Golf
Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Erik van Rooyen, Ashleigh Buhai and Paula Reto all pack the talent to deliver something special at Le Golf National.
If any other new sport wins a medal, it’s going to be an outlier, such as climbing, skateboarding or fencing.
Or maybe wrestler Steyn de Lange can pull off a surprise win in the 97kg freestyle division. Wrestling is practically owed a medal, having had three contenders finishing fourth in the pre-isolation years.
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