Golden glory

WE COULD not have hoped for a better start to the 2018 Commonwealth Games than the lovely sight of a beaming Henri Schoeman clutching his gold triathlon medal.

Schoeman has been one the country’s shining lights since the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where he won the bronze medal two years ago, and the gold medal in the triathlon is a just reward for all his efforts.

One of the noteworthy aspects of the Commonwealth Games is that it allows the spotlight to shine on some of the sports that do not feature at the Olympics or in the mainstream.

For example, our bowls team may not hog the limelight like South Africa’s track and field stars or the Blitzboks, but they are set to make an equally important contribution to South Africa’s medal standings.

South Africa will be looking to return to the top five on the medals table after we had slipped to seventh place in Glasgow in 2014 with 40 (13 gold, 10 silver and 17 bronze).

Our two flagships sports, athletics and swimming, will of course hopefully be providing us with lots of cheer and excitement.

South Africa’s golden boy, Chad le Clos, will have the weight of expectation on his shoulders as he hopes to become the most decorated Commonwealth athlete ever.

He is looking to add at least six more medals to his tally of 12 from the last two Games, to equal the current record of 18 gongs.

And then of course there is Caster Semenya. Yesterday, she proudly carried our flag at the opening ceremony and on Sunday she will begin her hunt for yet another bag full of gold.

And that is exactly what we wish for every member of the South African team – a bag full of gold medals and a bag full of golden memories.