Cheslin always knew cousin Wayde was destined for greatness
CHESLIN KOLBE couldn’t watch Wayde van Niekerk’s historic 400m performance live.
Kolbe, along with the other members of the South African Sevens team, were on a long flight back from Rio where they won the bronze medal at the Olympic Games. But Kolbe was a bit more edgy than his teammates, and indeed most of South Africa, about the race and the result, because Van Niekerk is actually his cousin.
News of the result started to filter through, as the people on the flight began to find out that Van Niekerk had done something special, something out of this world. So, as their plane landed in Johannesburg and the captain gave them the green light to put on their mobile phones, the first thing the Stormers and Western Province fullback did was to check out the highlights of the race.
But Kolbe wasn’t surprised that Van Niekerk blitzed his opponents in a performance that even overshadowed the great Usain Bolt’s third successive 100m Olympic gold medal.
His cousin was always destined for great things.
“He has put in the hard work and everything is just paying off now,” Kolbe said. “I truly believed in him and I knew he is capable of achieving what he wanted to achieve. He showed our family, and South Africa, if you keep on working hard, you can achieve great things. I think everybody can be proud of him. What he has done for this country ... not a lot of people are able to achieve what he had achieved. It’s something really special.”
Kolbe and Van Niekerk had plenty of meals together at the Olympic village as they prepared for their respective events.
But the pacy fullback didn’t see any signs of nerves when chatting to his cousin. In fact, if there were any nerves, Van Niekerk hid them pretty well because he was his usual silly self.
“I got him a few times in the village, because we stayed in the same building. We tried to spend time together and share the experiences of what is going around the village. Wayde was just always relaxed, funny and full of energy. He is always quite chilled and I think he was in a good space mentally. I think his preparation was very good, and that’s why he backed himself to attack the race like he did,” he said.
Personally, for Kolbe, the Olympics was one of the greatest experiences of his life.
While he is always being asked for pictures from fans, he was a bit star-struck at times in the village, where some of the world’s greatest athletes came together to stay during the event.
“I saw Usain Bolt, but it was from a distance. I didn’t personally meet him, though! I saw Rafa Nadal, Venus and Serena Williams. It’s something I will never forget,” Kolbe said.
But now it’s back to Western Province and the Currie Cup for Kolbe after he wasn’t picked for the Springbok squad in the upcoming Rugby Championship. Kolbe will probably sit out Friday’s match against the Cheetahs at Newlands (kickoff 5.10pm), but should be available for the rest of the campaign.