NEW HOPE FOR SA DISABLED SPORT
You have to really put in effort to get something back
RIO DE JANEIRO: Fanie van der Merwe carried his country’s flag at the closing ceremony of the Rio Paralympics last night, bringing the curtain down on a Games of glory, joy and some circumspection and hope for the future of South African disabled sport.
South Africa leave with 17 medals, some moments of magic and the emergence of a wide-eyed boy sprinter called Ntando Mahlangu for whom everything was “great”.
Kevin Paul had got the Games off to a perfect start with gold in the 100m breaststroke, but that was the last medal from the sport in a disappointing showing.
Athletics came to the party with 15 of the 17 medals. Charl du Toit’s double gold in the 100m and 400m was a brave run for the man who arrived with a heavy heart.
His uncle had passed away on the eve of the Games after he had been shot in a robbery.
Du Toit’s theme for this year was “Smiling Lightning”. He smiled throughout his grief, his medals offered in tribute to his uncle.
Ilse Hayes retired after her seventh medal in four Paralympics. At the age of 31, she wants to start a family, restore furniture and dance.
Dyan Buis won bronze and gold, and announced that he was looking for a job as a teacher. Hilton Langenhoven, at the age of 33, wasn’t sure whether he was done with the Games, but won gold and silver just in case.
Reinhardt Hamman came back from the disappointment of not being picked for Beijing to win gold in the javelin. In between he retired and got fat. He came back and won, and dedicated his gold medal to his late father.
Ernst van Dyk will, in all likelihood, be back for Tokyo. His gold in the hand cycling was what he had yearned for after losing to former Formula One driver Alessandro Zanardi in London.
He is now retired from cycling, but expect to see him in a wheelchair in 2020. He took sixth in the wheelchair marathon yesterday, the last event a South African was involved in.
The closing ceremony was a carnival party of a farewell. Brazilian singer Ivete Sangalo was the main attraction, but there was time made to remember a fallen Paralympian.
There was a moment of silence at the closing ceremony for Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad, who died in the cycling road race on Saturday after a horrific crash.
He had been competing in the same event as South Africa’s Dane Wilson and was the first Paralympian to die during competition at the Games. Golbarnezhad lost a limb in the Iran-Iraq war.
And so to the future. South Africa had been set a target of 29 medals. That was unrealistic. This is a team in transition, with youngsters feeling their way and veterans making way. Ilse Hayes believes there is hope for Tokyo.
“We had a really young team. I think for most of them this is a good opportunity and good experience. Learning what it is like at a Paralympics. The movement is becoming so strong.
“For some of them, this is an eye opener that you have to really put in some effort to get something back,” she said.