Road to London 2012 COUNTDOWN
1992: South Africa's Olympic return
This was South Africa's first appearance back at the Olympics since Rome (1960). This after the abolishment of apartheid and the lifting of crippling international sanctions against our sportsmen and women. It had been a tumultuous period in the country's history. In November 1990 the Association of National Olympic Committees in Africa convened a meeting of SA sports officials in Harare. It was decided that the five multi-sports organisations – Cosas, NOSC, Sacos, Sanoc and Sanroc – formed a co-ordinating committee of eight to oversee unity in South African sport. On 9 July 1991 the president of the IOC, Juan Antonio Samaranch, had given formal recognition to the National Olympic Committee of South Africa (NOCSA) as the body representing all aspects of Olympic sport in South Africa. And on 25 July 1991 the IOC formally invited Nocsa to participate in the XXV Olympiad at Barcelona. South Africa decided to send 17 sports, under its Nocsa president, Sam Ramsamy and its vice president, Mluleki George. Marathon runner Jan Tau was the flag-bearer at the opening ceremony and a team of 93 competitors (68 men and 25 women) took part in a total of 87 events, spread across 9 sports. It was South Africa's debut appearance in the archery competition but neither of Johanna Schenk or Malcolm Todd were able to advance beyond the ranking round. The late Zithulele Sinqe took part in the men's marathon but failed to finish. Also part of Team South Africa was Zola Pieterse who as Zola Budd had represented Great Britain at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and was involved in the infamous collision with Mary Decker. She failed to advance past the heats in the women's 3000 metres final. In the swimming, a young Penny Heyns failed to make it past the 100 and 200m breaststroke heats, finishing 33rd and 32nd overall. Her time was to come four years later. Jill Brukman, the 19year-old Durbanite, was our busiest swimmer, competing in five different events. Other big names of the time included the athletes Charmaine Weavers, Dries Vorster and Bobang Phiri. Mark Perrow and Oscar Chalupsky were amongst the canoeists and Fana Twala and Giovanni Pretorius represented boxing. Gonda Betrix formed part of the equestrian team and tennis included Amanda Coetzer, Elna Reinach and Mariaan de Swardt.
Ultimately, South Africa returned with two medals – Elana Meyer's silver in the women's 10,000m and the men's tennis doubles duo of Wayne Ferreira and Pietie Norval.
Elana Meyer’s 10,000m silver
Meyer went to Barcelona as the golden girl of South African athletics. The Ethiopian Derartu Tulu was the main obstacle in the chase for the gold medal. The Kenyan Hellen Kimaiyo won the first heat in 31min 58.63sec, while Meyer looked comfortable in finishing a distant second to Tulu in their heat, Meyer timing 32:05.45. The final itself was on a balmy Friday evening, 7 August 1992, in the Barcelona Olympic Stadium. Meyer hit the front early on in the 25-lap final and one-by-one her rivals dropped off the pace. All except for Tulu, who stuck to Meyer’s heels. When it came down to the kick for home, the Ethiopian lengthened her stride and swept past the South African, leaving Meyer to settle for a creditable second, and the silver medal, in 31:11.75.
Pietie Norval and Wayne Ferreira tennis men’s doubles silver
The Australian pair of John Fitzgerald and Todd Woodbridge went into the event as favourites and top seeds, while Norval and Ferreira were seeded four. The South Africans came through their first three matches in the bottom half of the draw with the loss of just one set. In the semifinals they beat the unseeded Goran Ivanisevic and Goran Prpic in five sets and faced the sixth-seeded Germans of Boris Becker and Michael Stich in the final. It was Becker and Stich who played the big point better, going on to take the gold medal in four sets, 7-6 4-6 7-6 6-3.