Monday’s events were primarily at the Stade de France, where athletics took the spotlight for Team SA.
Team SA began the day with four medals: Tatjana Smith (one gold and one silver), the men’s sevens rugby team (bronze), and Alan Hatherly (bronze).
Prudence Sekgodiso finished eighth in the 800m final at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday night with a time of 1:58.79.
Wayde van Niekerk and Shaun Maswangani both secured third place in their respective 200m heats, advancing directly to the semi-finals. However, Benjamin Richardson suffered a leg injury during his heat, though he still recorded a time that keeps him in contention for the repechage, provided he is fit to compete.
Athletics:
Men’s discus throw qualification (Group A)
Francois Prinsloo finished 13th in his qualification round. His distance was, however, outside the required overall top 12 distances to qualify for the Final.
Men’s discus throw qualification (Group B)
Victor Hogan also finished 13th in his qualification round. His distance, too, was outside the required overall top 12 distances to qualify for the Final.
Men’s 400m Repechage Round (Heat 2)
Lythe Pillay finished first in his heat of the Repechage round, qualifying automatically for the Semi Final on Tuesday, 6 August.
Men’s 400m Repechage Round (Heat 3)
Zakithi Nene won his heat of the Repechage round to automatically qualify for the Semi Final on Tuesday, 6 August.
Women’s 400m Round 1
Miranda Coetzee finished 4th in her heat, which was outside the automatic qualification for the Semi Final. She still has an opportunity to qualify from the Repechage round on Tuesday, 6 August.
Men’s 200m Round 1 (Heat 1)
Wayde van Niekerk finished third in his heat, achieving automatic qualification for the Semi Final on Wednesday, 7 August.
Men’s 200m Round 1 (Heat 3)
Benjamin Richardson suffered an injury in the final stretch of the race and was not able to achieve the standard to qualify automatically for the Semi Final. He still has the opportunity to participate in the Repechage round to qualify for the Semi Final.
Men’s 200m Round 1 (Heat 5)
Shaun Maswanganyi finished third in his heat, achieving automatic qualification for the Semi Final on Wednesday, 7 August.
Women’s 8 00m Final
The main highlight from a South African perspective was Prudence Sekgodiso, who was seen as a potential medal contender for Team SA. Unfortunately, she finished eighth in the 800m final, crossing the line in 1:58.79 after visibly tiring in the last 50 meters. The gold was claimed by Keely Hodgkinson with a time of 1:56.72. Despite the result, Sekgodiso’s performance at her first Olympics demonstrated that she belongs at this level, showing promise for the 2028 Games.
During the race, Sekgodiso was forced wide early on and positioned herself in fourth alongside Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma. She stayed with the leaders, but was kept wide on the far turn, ultimately losing pace in the final straight. Reflecting on the race, she said, “The plan was to stick with the girls for as long as I could. I know I’m not good in the final 100m and when I saw the girls coming past me, I thought I must just keep my head up and keep going. I’m so happy I made the final, it means a lot to me.”
She also shared her struggles with recovery, mentioning that the demanding schedule of three races in three days was tough, requiring her to take sleeping pills to rest. These Olympics have taught her valuable lessons about racing and recovery, which will benefit her in future competitions.
Sport Climbing:
Men’s boulder & lead, Semi Final Boulder
Mel Janse van Rensburg finished tied for 19th in the competition, unfortunately not making the required top 8 to qualify for the Semi Final.
Women’s Speed, Qualification Seeding Heats
Aniya Holder managed to achieve her Personal Best time of 9.12 seconds in the qualification heats. Her time in the elimination heats was, unfortunately, not good enough to secure passage to the next round.
