SHINING BRIGHT:
South African athletes have been flying the country’s flag high at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in Australia. By last night, South Africa had won nine medals including four gold, four silver and one bronze.
CHAD le Clos of South Africa claimed silver in the men’s 100m freestyle at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, yesterday.
Le Clos touched the wall in 48.15 seconds, the same time as Aussie Kyle Chalmers, with the pair sharing the silver medal. Scotland’s Duncan Scott took victory in 48.02.
It was the third medal of the Games for Le Clos after collecting gold in the 50m and 200m butterfly events.
The silver brought South Africa’s medal tally to eight for the Commonwealth Games.
Sprinters Akani Simbine and Henricho Bruintjies both booked their spots in today’s 100m final by progressing to the semi-finals.
Bruintjies was in the second of three semi-finals and had a great second sector to end second behind Enoch Adegoke of Nigeria, who won in 10.24 seconds.
The Cape Town sprinter was 0.02 slower and just secured second, with the third-placed athlete also given the same time.
Simbine then took part in the final action of the evening at a packed Carrara Stadium.
Earlier, Tshepang Makhethe was the first of three South African field athletes in action.
He failed to make the topeight cut in the men’s hammer final. His two throws measured 67.05 and 67.99m and he missed out on going further by one position.
Then it was Juanelie Meijer’s turn. In her second Commonwealth Games, she took fourth spot in the women’s T39 long jump. She opened with a 4.19m jump and that was her best of the day, but she improved from the last Games by 13cm and one position.
The last of the field events saw Orazio Cremona put in an effort of 19.24m in the shot-put – fifth best in his group and good enough for today’s final.
Earlier, SA’s two race walkers, Lebogang Shange and Wayne Snyman, had strutted their stuff along the Currumbin beachfront, but neither made the top 10.