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13 Good And Bad Memories For South Africa At The Rio Olympics

13 Good And Bad Memories For South Africa At The Rio Olympics

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South Africa experienced its fair share of highs and lows during the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Some of its athletes added to the country’s medal count, while others disappointed.

Sources: Sport24, CBS Sports, SFGate, EWN, Times Live, YOU, Daily Maverick, City Press, SASCOC, Business Tech, BBC

Wayde van Niekerk celebrates win in Rio
Wayde van Niekerk celebrates win in Rio – sport24.co.za

137 South African athletes competed in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games

South Africa’s Olympic delegation included 137 athletes competing in track and field, badminton, canoeing, cycling, diving, equestrian, soccer, golf, gymnastics, judo, rowing, rugby sevens, sailing, swimming, and triathlon.

South African Olympic team
South Africa’s fans cheer at the 2016 games. Telegraph.co.uk

South Africa has won 25 gold medals in its history

South Africa’s athletes collected 10 medals at the Rio Olympics. Overall, SA has won 25 gold medals throughout Olympic history, and 86 total medals overall. Of the collection, 32 are silver and 29 are bronze.

South African Olympic team
South African athletes that win gold are in for an extra bonus from the Olympic commission
BusinessTech.co.za

There is a gold medal bonus of $36,000 for South African athletes

Not all countries offer bonuses to athletes for bringing home gold medals, but of those that do, the amount varies greatly. For instance, Singapore offers a $757,000 gold medal bonus, Indonesia offers $385,000, and the U.K. offers none at all. Bonuses are doled out at the discretion of countries’ individual Olympic commissions, and individual sports commissions or sponsors may add additional bonuses.

South African Olympic team
South Africa was banned from the Olympics during apartheid. Home.BT.com

2016 marks the seventh consecutive Olympics post apartheid

While Rio is South Africa’s 19th overall Olympics, it is the seventh consecutive appearance since the end of apartheid. Banned by the international community during apartheid, the country did not participate in the summer games from 1964 to 1988.

South African Olympic team
The SASCOC set their own standards to ensure top competitors represented the country in Rio
SABC.co.za

The SASCOC declined all qualification slots earned through continental qualifiers, except where absolutely necessary

To ensure the most competitive team possible, the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) declined all continental qualifiers, except in sports where continental qualification was the only available path.

South African Olympic team
South Africa’s tracksuits generated online scorn during the opening ceremonies. HuffingtonPost.com

South Africa’s delegation was the only country to wear “casual wear” to the opening ceremonies

The South African delegation donned green and gold tracksuits to the opening ceremonies in Rio, attracting derision from some viewers. Other athletes all wore either blazers or traditional clothing, but apparently the apparel was changed after the team was given shirts that were widely considered too ugly to wear.

South African Olympic team
The 2016 Banyana Banyana football team. SAFA.net

Banyana Banyana, the women’s soccer team, attributed their failure to the lack of a professional league in South Africa

Banyana Banyana disappointed fans after a 2-0 loss to China in their second group match. Prior to the games, the team played friendlies against some of the top teams, including the Netherlands, the U.S., and New Zealand. Coach Vera Pauw said, “We are still learning. We don’t have experience in our camp and it is because of the lack of a professional league in South Africa. The idea was not to win. We came here to learn.”

Source: City Press News

South African Olympic team
Chad le Clos, South Africa’s most decorated Olympian of all time. AfricanMan.co.za

Chad le Clos became the country’s most decorated Olympian

With a silver medal in the 100 meter butterfly – actually touched in a three-way tie with the U.S.’s Michael Phelps and Hungary’s Laszio Cseh – Chad le Clos collected his fourth Olympic medal, the most by any South African in history. Le Clos’ other medals came this year in the 200 meter freestyle (silver), and in London in 2012 in the 200 meter and 100 meter butterfly (gold and silver, respectively). With this fourth medal, le Clos pulled ahead of fellow South African swimmers Penny Heyns and Roland Schoeman, who both have three medals.

South African Olympic team
Ryan Patterson is the first male South African gymnast in decades to compete in the games
Zimbio.com

Ryan Patterson was the first South African male gymnast to appear in the Olympics since 1956

Though he didn’t progress to the final, Ryan Patterson made history as the first male South African gymnast to compete in the Olympic games since Jack Wells in 1956. With regard to the historic achievement, he said, “The pressure was more a motivation thing. I’m here to represent my country and it’s an honor, so channeling that into my routines is what I had to do.”

Source: Sport24

South African Olympic team
Cameron van der Burgh was the first South African to win a medal at the 2016 Olympic games
SAPeople.com

Cameron van der Burgh collected South Africa’s first medal of the 2016 Games

Van der Burgh took home a silver medal in the men’s 100 meter breaststroke, finishing after Britain’s Adam Peaty, who put on a legendary performance, smashing his own world record twice already. On his medal, van der Burgh said, “It’s an amazing feeling, I’m so super proud, you know. Add a silver to collection, gold, I can’t say I’m disappointed at all.”

Source: Times Live

South African Olympic team
The Blitzboks sing the national anthem. SARugbyMag.co.za

The Blitzboks, South African’s rugby sevens team, bagged a bronze medal

The Blitzboks were considered one of the favorites for the Olympic Rugby Sevens, but were a bit disappointed in their performance, coming home with the bronze medal. Meanwhile, Fiji came in first, winning their country’s first ever-Olympic medal and sending fans into a frenzy.

South African Olympic team
Jaco van Zyl’s ace was a highlight of the 2016 games. GolfChannel.com

Golfer Jaco Van Zyl made the second hole-in-one in Olympic history

For the second time in a week, but only the second time in Olympic history, a golfer pulled off an ace. South Africa’s Jaco Van Zyl scored a hole-in-one on the 173-yard par-3 eighth in the third round. He remains 12 behind the leader, but the glory of his shot will always remain.

South African Olympic team
Caster Semenya wins gold in the 800 meters. Photo: Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters/ENCA.com

… all anyone wanted to talk about was gender

Caster Semenya, 25, won Olympic gold in the 800 meter. Semenya set a national record to win in one minute 55.28 seconds and finish well ahead of silver medallist Francine Niyonsaba of Burundi. Kenya’s Margaret Nyairera Wambui won the bronze medal. Semenya has been subject to gender testing, spending 11 months on the sidelines. She was eventually cleared to compete in 2010. She has been diagnosed with hyperandrogenism, which means her testosterone levels exceed the vast majority of women. New regulations were introduced in 2011 requiring female athletes to take testosterone-lowering medication if their natural levels are above a certain point. The rules were suspended in July 2015 for two years.

Source: BBC