Olympic hero wants black kids to shine

SIZWE Ndlovu, a member of South Africa’s golden lightweight four at the 2012 London Olympic Games, is looking for talented black rowers in his new life as a mentor.

“I would like to see more [black] kids coming through,” said Ndlovu, a coach at the University of Johannesburg and a consultant at King Edward VII School. “I want to see government schools coming because they’ve more challenges than the private schools.”

Ndlovu himself learned to row at Mondeor High School in south Johannesburg. “I was one of four black kids [rowing], and by the end of the season I was the only one.”

These days his old school is predominantly black — as are some other government schools offering rowing — and that boosts the odds of finding more black rowers.

Ndlovu, 36, predicts the senior South African team will have black rowers come the 2024 or 2028 Olympics.

Tokyo 2020 will be too early for them, but he’s hoping he can make a comeback, even though he will be 40 at the time.

He knows coaching and training full-time is a tough ask, but several years ago he rowed and put in shifts as a police reservist.

Ndlovu had hoped to make his swansong at the 2016 Rio Games, but he succumbed to a lingering hip injury in May last year.

“It was disappointing, sad. I shed a couple of tears, but a part of me was thinking I don’t want to go to the Olympics if I’m not going to perform well.”

Ndlovu was helping Rowing SA on a development programme in the Eastern Cape at the time of the Games, but the pain of missing out was still unbearable.

“I didn’t watch any rowing at the time. I was miserable. I was seeing a psychologist.”

In June last year, he underwent arthroscopic surgery, which requires a year for full recovery. That forced him to put on hold his dream of taking part in an Iron Man triathlon.

While still on crutches, Ndlovu was asked to coach the UJ women’s eight crew, which a couple of months later edged Rhodes at the Boat Race in Port Alfred.

“It was like our win in London,” Ndlovu said with a smile, referring to his team’s stunning come-frombehind Games triumph.

He and his three crewmates, James Thompson, John Smith and Matt Brittain, rowed together for the first time since London a year ago, for a video shoot.

“When we got into the boat it felt even better than London.” THOSE WERE THE DAYS: Rower Sizwe Ndlovu after clinching gold as a team at the 2012 London Olympic Games

I don’t want to go to the Olympics if I’m not going to perform well