A year where our athletes sent a message
While there was no major multi-sport spectacle on the international circuit this year, local athletes shone again in their respective Olympic codes as they geared up for an assault on the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
We look back at the performances of the nation’s top athletes this year in individual Olympic disciplines. Wayde van Niekerk (athletics) The 400m world record-holder lived up to the hype as the pre-race favourite in defence of his one-lap title at the World Championships in London. His season also included the half-lap silver medal in the English capital, as well as a 300m world best of 30.81 and a 200m national record of 19.84. Caster Semenya (athletics) Going unbeaten in the 800m for the second year in a row, Semenya was again at her best. She reclaimed the two-lap world title she won in 2009 and added the 1 500m bronze medal with a double at the global championships. Semenya closed out her campaign with a 600m world best of 1:21.77. Luvo Manyonga (athletics) Taking control of his specialist discipline, Manyonga cemented his place as the top long jumper in the world. He won every competition he contested this year, broke the African record with a massive leap of 8.65m and secured a well deserved world title. Chad le Clos (swimming) After experiencing a four-year gold medal drought in the 200m butterfly in the long course pool, Le Clos reclaimed the title in his favoured event at the World Championships in Budapest.
While he was unable to step on the podium more than once at the biennial showpiece, he looks set to bag a record fourth World Cup series title next month, retaining his place as one of the country’s elite
Wesley Bo on
stars. Kirsten McCann (rowing) Delivering an historic performance at the World Rowing Championships in Sarasota, McCann stormed to gold in the lightweight single sculls. She became the first SA woman to earn a rowing world title, and the first South African to reach the top of the podium in a singles boat. Ruswahl Samaai (athletics) Though he was forced to compete in Manyonga’s shadow throughout the year, Samaai was in superb form. He delivered a personal best of 8.49m, settling in second place in the world long jump rankings, and secured bronze at the World Championships. Cameron vd Burgh (swimming) A former world record-holder, Van der Burgh has had to take a back seat to younger competitors in recent years, but the 29-year-old breaststroke specialist proved he is still a force at the highest level. Taking bronze in the 50m final at the World Championships, he earned his sixth successive sprint medal at the global long course showpiece. Kevin Anderson (tennis) Shaking off the injury troubles he faced last year, Anderson bounced back in style this season. He reached the fourth round at the French Open and Wimbledon before producing a breakthrough performance to reach the final of the US Open, rocketing back into the top 20 in the world rankings. Though he remains indefinitely unavailable for the national team, he has put SA tennis back in the spotlight. Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (cycling) After grabbing bronze in the team time trial with her Cervelo Bigla trade outfit, Moolman-Pasio took seventh place in the individual contest at the UCI Road World Championships in Bergen. Though she went on to crash in the road race after putting up a gutsy fight, she continued to carry the SA flag as the country’s top rider on the World Tour circuit. Richard Murray (triathlon) Despite taking his foot off the pedal after winning a battle against injuries last year, Murray was the country’s best performer in the multi-coded discipline this season. He reached the podium at three World Series races and won two World Cup contests. Murray ended his campaign by finishing sixth in the grand final of the World Series to take fourth spot overall.