By DAVID ISAACSON
The world’s greatest multi-sport spectacle kicks off in Rio de Janeiro today – with South Africa poised to deliver its greatest Olympic performance since readmission.
Possibly even of all time.
Cyclists Louis Meintjies and Daryl Impey are the country’s first chances for silverware in the men’s road race this morning, leading off a weekend where nine medal prospects will be in action before the end of Sunday.
That’s up 300% on London 2012, when there were just three podium contenders on the opening two days of the 16-day showpiece.
In the end SA bagged six medals, featuring three gold, for its best haul of the post-isolation era from 1992.
The rowing foursome and swimmers Chad Le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh competed on that weekend four years ago.
The lightweight men eased through their heats, Van der Burgh stormed to the 100m breaststroke Olympic crown and Le Clos ended fifth in the 400m individual medley behind fourth-placed Michael Phelps.
Three nights later Le Clos stunned Phelps for the 200m butterfly gold.
Of the nine prospects this time around, most will actually compete for medals from Monday onwards, but progressing through the early rounds this weekend en route to their respective finals is just as critical.
Meintjies, with the help of Impey, is vying for SA’s first possible gong tomorrow, while his female counterpart, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, rolls into action on Sunday.
Van der Burgh will attempt to defend his 100m breaststroke mantle, while Le Clos has added the 200m freestyle to his arsenal, bringing him into play on Sunday morning.
He will start his premier butterfly events from Monday.
As for rowing, this time around head coach Roger Barrow has nurtured at least four crews with the firepower to reach the podium.
John Smith and James Thompson, the only survivors of London, are in the lightweight men’s double sculls, while Kirsty McCann and Ursula Grobler are in the women’s lightweight double sculls.
Shaun Keeling and cancer survivor Lawrence Brittain will be a force in the men’s heavyweight pairs, while Lee-Ann Persse and Kate Christowitz are not far off the pace in the women’s pairs.
There is a fifth boat, the men’s heavyweight four, and while they are inexperienced and young, they are determined and capable.
The rowers’ finals are scheduled for Thursday and Friday next week.
Swimmers Myles Brown and Christopher Reid might not be contenders in their individual races this weekend, in Brown’s 400m freestyle tomorrow and Reid’s 100m backstroke the following day, but combined they could be contenders as members of the 4x100m medley relay next Saturday night.
Reid is a definite for that team, as are Van der Burgh and Le Clos. Brown, however, has yet to be named amid a tussle for the final freestyle leg.
The BlitzBoks will be SA’s 10th prospect of silverware when they embark on their campaign on Tuesday, with the medal matches scheduled for Thursday.
By the end of the first full week in London, SA had four medals, including Le Clos’s 100m silver for butterfly.
If they can push that to at least six by next Friday, the dream of a record will stay alive, especially with the quality that is still to come.
There’s SA’s biggest Olympic track and field team in history, spearheaded by world 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk, 800m star Caster Semenya, javelin-thrower Sunette Viljoen and long-jumper Ruswahl Samaai, not to mention triathlete Richard Murray and Bridgitte Hartley in the canoeing.
SA’s all-time mark is 10 medals, with three gold, from Antwerp 1920, followed by 10 medals, containing two gold, from Helsinki 1952.
Stockholm 1912 remains the country’s best golden haul with four, although there were only six medals in total.
While there are more than a dozen medal dreams for SA fans to enthuse about in the coming 16 days, Banyana Banyana are focusing on survival.
They were the first South Africans in action in Rio, and despite putting on a brave display on Wednesday, they went down 0-1 to Sweden.
But their competition would effectively be over tomorrow night if they succumb to China, Group E’s other losers, after going down 0-3 to hosts Brazil.
SA set for record medal haul
The world’s greatest multi-sport spectacle kicks off in Rio de Janeiro today – with South Africa poised to deliver its greatest Olympic performance since readmission.
Possibly even of all time.
Cyclists Louis Meintjies and Daryl Impey are the country’s first chances for silverware in the men’s road race this morning, leading off a weekend where nine medal prospects will be in action before the end of Sunday.
That’s up 300% on London 2012, when there were just three podium contenders on the opening two days of the 16-day showpiece.
In the end SA bagged six medals, featuring three gold, for its best haul of the post-isolation era from 1992.
The rowing foursome and swimmers Chad Le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh competed on that weekend four years ago.
The lightweight men eased through their heats, Van der Burgh stormed to the 100m breaststroke Olympic crown and Le Clos ended fifth in the 400m individual medley behind fourth-placed Michael Phelps.
Three nights later Le Clos stunned Phelps for the 200m butterfly gold.
Of the nine prospects this time around, most will actually compete for medals from Monday onwards, but progressing through the early rounds this weekend en route to their respective finals is just as critical.
Meintjies, with the help of Impey, is vying for SA’s first possible gong tomorrow, while his female counterpart, Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, rolls into action on Sunday.
Van der Burgh will attempt to defend his 100m breaststroke mantle, while Le Clos has added the 200m freestyle to his arsenal, bringing him into play on Sunday morning.
He will start his premier butterfly events from Monday.
As for rowing, this time around head coach Roger Barrow has nurtured at least four crews with the firepower to reach the podium.
John Smith and James Thompson, the only survivors of London, are in the lightweight men’s double sculls, while Kirsty McCann and Ursula Grobler are in the women’s lightweight double sculls.
Shaun Keeling and cancer survivor Lawrence Brittain will be a force in the men’s heavyweight pairs, while Lee-Ann Persse and Kate Christowitz are not far off the pace in the women’s pairs.
There is a fifth boat, the men’s heavyweight four, and while they are inexperienced and young, they are determined and capable.
The rowers’ finals are scheduled for Thursday and Friday next week.
Swimmers Myles Brown and Christopher Reid might not be contenders in their individual races this weekend, in Brown’s 400m freestyle tomorrow and Reid’s 100m backstroke the following day, but combined they could be contenders as members of the 4x100m medley relay next Saturday night.
Reid is a definite for that team, as are Van der Burgh and Le Clos. Brown, however, has yet to be named amid a tussle for the final freestyle leg.
The BlitzBoks will be SA’s 10th prospect of silverware when they embark on their campaign on Tuesday, with the medal matches scheduled for Thursday.
By the end of the first full week in London, SA had four medals, including Le Clos’s 100m silver for butterfly.
If they can push that to at least six by next Friday, the dream of a record will stay alive, especially with the quality that is still to come.
There’s SA’s biggest Olympic track and field team in history, spearheaded by world 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk, 800m star Caster Semenya, javelin-thrower Sunette Viljoen and long-jumper Ruswahl Samaai, not to mention triathlete Richard Murray and Bridgitte Hartley in the canoeing.
SA’s all-time mark is 10 medals, with three gold, from Antwerp 1920, followed by 10 medals, containing two gold, from Helsinki 1952.
Stockholm 1912 remains the country’s best golden haul with four, although there were only six medals in total.
While there are more than a dozen medal dreams for SA fans to enthuse about in the coming 16 days, Banyana Banyana are focusing on survival.
They were the first South Africans in action in Rio, and despite putting on a brave display on Wednesday, they went down 0-1 to Sweden.
But their competition would effectively be over tomorrow night if they succumb to China, Group E’s other losers, after going down 0-3 to hosts Brazil.
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