People | hpc Sponsored Athletes at the Olympics Text: Vata Ngobeni, Chief sport writer for the Pretoria News The London Olympics are gone and Her time of 1:57.23 was the almost no doubt that she will be a only memories are left but it is the fourth fastest time run this year factor in Rio. lessons learnt that will put Team South and put her just over a second Africa in a better place to attain more behind World and now Olympic “I've been waiting all year for this. The medals at the next Olympic Games in Champion Mariya Savinova and last four years have not been easy. I'm Rio de Janeiro in 2016. ahead of another Russian, Ekaterina already thinking about Rio and I hope Poistogova. I'll be there. That final race at the Nobody will be craving for gold more Olympics was very fast but I was not than former 800metres women’s Semenya started the race slowly and worried. It doesn't matter if you are world champion and Tuks athlete took the bell at the halfway mark at the back or the front, it matters how Caster Semenya after the drama behind the frontrunner, American you finish the race,” Semenya said. of the past four years ended with Alysia Montano, and was struggling something of a silver lining when as she ran in last place of the eight While Semenya believes that she has she became the first black South finalists. learnt valuable lessons that will arm African female to win a medal at the her well for Rio, she does concede that Olympics. On the back straight though Semenya her coach former world 800metres surged to forward showing great champion Maria Mutola was not Semenya has a knack of leaving speed and had there been an extra happy that she could not get gold. things until late from her qualification 10metres, Semenya could have for the Olympics which was ironically crossed the line ahead of Savinova. "My coach was not happy, but you attained at the Tuks Athletics Stadium learn from your mistakes. I tried earlier this year to the finals race Semenya’s silver medal is still a major hard to go with them but the body inside the majestic Olympic Stadium accomplishment for an athlete that was not really on fire and I had to in London. was humiliated, mistreated and almost fight to the end," Semenya said about had her career ended prematurely her race to silver. If things had gone differently when she was unjustifiably subjected Semenya could have arrived back to gender tests after being crowned It is not just Semenya who has learnt home with a gold medal around her world champion three years ago. valuable lessons from London in the neck but it seems for now the silver hope of achieving the golden dream medal will do for the Limpopo-born In retrospect the 21 year-old Semenya for Rio. lass who was undoubtedly one of the still has plenty of time ahead of her Swimmer Darren Murray may have crowd favourites in London. and while she has often been criticized for her late surge in races there is failed to make the semi-finals of the 200metres backstroke as he 20 Medalist | People crashed out in the heats but Murray because it is the only way I can swim pressure, but nothing prepared me for is determined to follow in the wake faster. I want to win an Olympic the Olympics. I just wanted to swim of star swimmers Chad Le Clos and medal, Chad’s success has made me my best times and go through to the Cameron van den Burgh. hungrier to do so. I want to do it for next round but could not achieve that myself, my country and many of those in the 200 freestyle.” Murray clocked a time of 2:00.01 in young kids of colour out there who his heat finishing in a credible 25th don’t believe that a young black kid "I was very upset with myself. But one place overall in the heats, failing to can swim. I’m targeting Rio but before thing I decided is that I am ready for qualify for the semifinals. that it is important for me to do well the next Olympics. I was really hoping at the world championships and other to be a little better this time, but I am “Being at the Olympics was a fantastic major swimming events in the years young enough to make it to Rio," she experience for me and it made me leading to 2016,” Murray said. said. believe that I can do even better going forward. I can’t say I am Another Tuks swimmer based at For Suzaan van Biljon, the 2012 disappointed in my performances the High Performance Centre Karin Olympics was a vindication of her but it was the perfect opportunity for Prinsloo will only get better and after return to international sport. me to make a name for myself. I am the disappointment of London will be Van Biljon had retired from swimming more determined than ever to do well one of the favourites to medal in Rio. at the next Olympics and follow in the two years ago after losing her will footsteps of Chad. Chad is younger Prinsloo failed to make the cut in the to compete and even though her than me by a year and look what he women's 200m freestyle heats after return back to competitve swimming did on the biggest stage in the world. registering a time of 1:59.24 which didn’t end in a medal it was enough It is not that I am comparing myself meant that Prinsloo finished 20th for the 24-year-old to break Penny to Chad but he has inspired me to do overall. Heyns’ South African record which well and actually fight to be the best has stood since 1999 in qualifying for in the backstroke,” said Murray who The often emotional Prinsloo is the final which Van Biljon eventually won gold in the 200metres and silver destined to come good in Rio and finished in seventh place in the 200m in the 100metres backstroke events at while the semi-finals eluded her in breaststroke. the All Africa Games in Maputo last London, she too has plenty of years “I exceeded my expectation with my year. ahead of her to make waves on the international swimming scene. time. It’s really put the desire and Murray moved up from Cape Town motivation back to work hard and to Pretoria to help accelerate his “It was a dream come true for me. achieve something in my swimming swimming career and besides making I really wanted to qualify for the again. Watching Cameron and Chad history as the first swimmer of colour Olympics in Beijing, but I do not win medals has made me want to to participate at the Olympics, it is think I was ready for it mentally and keep on getting better. It’s really put now a goal of Murray’s to become physically. I was very disappointed, the desire and motivation back to the first swimmer of colour to win a and had to wait for another four years work hard and achieve something in medal in the pool for South Africa at to give it a try, that is why all the tears my swimming again,” Van Biljon had an Olympic Games. flowed when I finally achieved this at said afterwards. nationals. I thought qualifying for the “I have to put pressure on myself Olympics I put myself under a lot of Olympic gold, silver and bronze Medalist 21 Medalist 21 People | medalist Roland Schoeman may have It is painful when talking about the winning throw) just 30 seconds from returned from London empty handed early exit of 400metre hurdler LJ the end of the fight while he was but the former Willowridge High van Zyl who failed to get beyond the ahead. School scholar continued to prove that heats. he is still competitive even though he Lastly on the football pitch, it may is at the twilight of his career and was Unfortunately for Van Zyl, who had not have been a great tournament one of the few athletes who did much been a certain medal hopeful, the for Banyana Banyana as they failed of his preparations for the London London Olympics will be another to win a single match but the South Olympics away from South Africa. major competition not worth Africans proved worthy of being remembering as he had arrived counted amongst some of the best Roland came close to picking up a in London suffering from an injury teams in the world and showed the medal in a fast 50metres freestyle picked up in the build-up to the potential of beating the best when final finishing in sixth place. Olympics. they managed to hold reigning world champions Japan to a goalless draw Talking about records, Tuks walker Things got worse for Van Zyl and his in their last game. Marc Mundell set a new African teammates Willie de Beer, Ofentse record in the 50km race walk that Mogawane, Shaun de Jager and Having lost their opening two matches saw Russian Sergey Kirdyapkin take Oscar Pistorius as they made it into to Sweden (1-4) and Canada (0-3), the gold in an Olympic record time of the 4x400metres relay final through the South Africans draw with Japan 3:35:59.