tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68508446577352524962024-03-06T01:13:02.171-08:00MPONDZMAN!A: The ArenaBouncing back from my sports journalism sabbaticalLitha Mpondwanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074546528757814860noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6850844657735252496.post-22103674110271817462012-09-27T02:01:00.001-07:002012-09-27T02:02:47.579-07:00Springboks are set for a special era<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I wrote an e-mail to SA Rugby magazine, just to air my optimism for the current Springbok team. I feel South African rugby pundits and fans have a bit unfair on Heyneke Meyer and his young Boks. I believe they are just a few pillars away from being world-beaters.</span><br />
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>From: Litha Mpondwana</i></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>It might seem paradoxical after an indifferent start to their Rugby Championship campaign, but I do believe the Springboks under Heyneke Meyer are going to be a very special team.<br /><br />I am not surprised at the backlash Meyer and the Boks have received so far, as it is the nature of South African sports. Fans and media alike are impatient with the performance of South African national teams. To be fair though, certain aspects on how the Boks play have been frustrating, but to Meyer's credit, he has reacted accordingly. An example of this are the changes he made to the Bok team for their Rugby Championship match against Australia at Loftus.<br /><br />I would like to believe injuries to key players and an inexperienced core team have affected player selections and the stagnant way the Boks have played. The return of injured world class players should change the balance of the team for the better. The young Boks will gain more experience this year, and they should return as battle hardened internationals in the next year.<br /><br />I am particularly excited at the prospect of the young players that have been selected to play for the Boks this season. Eben Etzebeth has imposed himself well against the most physical packs in world rugby. I would like to believe that the reason Pat Lambie has been stuck on the bench for the Boks has been due to the absence of JP Pietersen in the team. Lambie has the makings to be an excellent fullback. I do not buy into the notion that he lacks the pace to cut it in the position.<br />Francois Hougaard should be given another go at scrumhalf. I think he will be more liberated when playing with a multi-dimesional flyhalf such as Johan Goosen or Elton Jantjies. These two flyhalves should be kept in the Bok team. Their talents will surely give the team a more attacking and varied impetus in their play. Jaco Taute is the long-term solution to the Springbok outside centre position. He is a devastating runner, and his link play is arguably better than that of his future rival for the jersey, Juan de Jongh. Coenie Oosthuizen, Siya Kolisi, Marcell Coetzee and Juandré Kruger all have big futures ahead of them in international rugby. Time and exposure to international rugby will make these guys even better players, and this can contribute to a Bok team who are world beaters.<br /><br />I reckon plenty of humble pie will be served when the Springboks hit their full stride in the next year, when the injured stars return and the young players get accustomed to international rugby. This Springbok team has the makings to be a very special team. </i></span></span></span>Litha Mpondwanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074546528757814860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6850844657735252496.post-90143610130170990562012-08-12T02:19:00.000-07:002012-08-12T12:11:24.667-07:00Team South Africa, where to from here?<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<i>"We are going forward, until the fat lady has sung here in London. We are still going for 12."</i></div>
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These were the words echoed by Gideon Sam, Sascoc President, in an <a href="http://www.sport24.co.za/OtherSport/Road-to-London-Gideon-Sam-20120413" style="color: lime;">interview</a> a few months before the London Olympic Games. He was confident of the chances Team South Africa had of recording their highest medal tally at the Olympics. He was justified in his confidence, as the team did achieve its highest medal tally since readmission. But the team was some way off Sascoc's expected tally.</div>
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One cannot be disappointed in Team South Africa's return of six medals at the London Olympics, especially in the context of the team's past Olympic performances. At the Beijing Games, the team was at its lowest ebb, as it only returned with a single medal. It was the lowest of a gradual slide since the highs of the Atlanta Olympics. In London, the successes of Team South Africa showed the potential of the team and a<span style="color: lime;"> </span><a href="http://mpondzmaniathearena.blogspot.com/2012/08/team-south-africas-success-at-2012.html#more" style="color: lime;">new guard</a> in South African Olympic sport. </div>
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I believe that athletes can only do so much to ensure a country's overall success at the Olympic Games. Athletes need a strong base from which to reach their optimum performance. This is where I feel South African sports bodies need to play a greater role to boost the performances of Team South Africa even more in future Olympic Games. </div>
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<b>Was planning a vision not a priority?</b></div>
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Team South Africa's previous Olympic campaigns have arguably been hampered by a lack of a clear vision by the controlling body of the team. I believe that an objective to be successful and to get as many medals as possible at the Olympics does not constitute an entire vision. The planning and strategies put in place to ensure that this kind of success is possible constitutes an entire vision.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Khotso Mokoena, South Africa's only medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Picture: Supplied</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Team South Africa went through a gradual slide in Olympic Games proceeding the 1996 Atlanta Games. Even when they won medals in the following campaigns, the team did not build on those successes.</div>
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Numerous controlling bodies of teams which represent Team South Africa have been unstable. This took focus away from implementing ways to maximise the success of South African Olympic teams. Athletics South Africa (ASA); the South African Football Association (Safa), Swimming South Africa (SSA) and even Sascoc to name a few, have featured in the news during the past decade in cases of infighting and instability.</div>
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Under the leadership of Gideon Sam however, Sascoc seems to be heading in the right direction. ASA and SSA are in the process of overcoming a bad decade in terms of administration, while Safa is languishing in its attempts to ensure the qualification of the under 23 men's team at the Olympics. Considering the positives of Team South Africa at the London Olympics, the potential of South African athletes and the shortcomings, it is conceivable to imagine a highly successful Team South African at the Olympics; a Team South Africa which returns with 12 or more medals from the spectacle.</div>
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<b>London 2012 as blueprint</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team South Africa enters the 2012 London Olympics. Picture: Supplied</td></tr>
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Team South Africa has to build from the momentum it has generated at the London Olympics. The team has to aim for higher goals than its record-breaking medal tally. It cannot go through a similar cycle as the Atlanta and Athens Games, where these campaigns were followed by weaker Team South Africa performances in Sydney and Beijing respectively. The London Olympics should be a guide to South Africa on how they should improve for the Rio Olympics and beyond.</div>
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ASA and SSA, who have provided the bulk of South Africa's Olympic medal winners, should consider investing more in building greater depth in South African athletics and swimming. More athletes in the ilk of Cameron van der Burgh, Chad le Clos and Caster Semenya could increase the medal count of South Africa in future Olympics. Lesser renowned sports such as rowing and canoeing, which have brought medals for Team South Africa could also improve and motivate athletes through more support in finances and infrastructural development.</div>
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<b>Waking up sleeping giants</b></div>
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<i style="color: #999999;">South African athletics</i><span style="color: #999999;"> </span></div>
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Returning with a single medal is not the best effort of the South African athletics team. At the Atlanta, Sydney and Athens Games, the team returned with more than a single medal. They were expected to win more medals at the London Olympics. Despite having solid campaigns in events such as the World Athletics Championships and in respective meets around the world, South Africa's track and field stars do not seem to be able to perform collectively in Olympic Games. Besides Olympic silver medallist Caster Semenya, the likes of javelin thrower Sunette Viljoen, 400 metres hurdler LJ van Zyl and long jumper Khotso Mokoena were all tipped for success at the London Olympics. It was also unfortunate that Athens Olympics 800 metres silver medallist and former World Champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi did not qualify for the London Olympics. </div>
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ASA should work on enhancing the performances of South Africa's track and field athletes at Olympic Games. Semenya, Viljoen and emerging 200 metres talent Anaso Jobodwana did well in their respective campaigns in London, but greater depth is needed in South African athletics. This is a point <a href="http://www.supersport.com/olympics/south-africa/news/120811/More_depth_in_athletics_needed" style="color: lime;">emphasised</a> by Atlanta Games silver medallist Hezekiel Sepeng, who says having greater depth in South African athletics will take pressure off the country's leading athletes. </div>
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ASA needs to return to the promise it showed in the late 90s. Hosting the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAAF_World_Cup_in_Athletics" style="color: lime;">1998 IAAF World Cup</a> and attracting the world's top athletes in subsequent domestic athletics meets, South African athletics seemed to be heading in the right direction. But this progress has stalled in the past decade, and arguably, South African athletes have been affected the most. Imagine what it would do for the morale of these athletes if the likes of Usain Bolt, David Rubisha and Valerie Adams came to compete in a South African athletics meet. The late 90s saw the likes of Marion Jones and Michael Johnson grace these events, and for a short while, South Africa had a large team competitive athletes. </div>
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<i style="color: #999999;">Swimming</i><span style="color: #999999;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Multiple Olympic medallist, Penny Heyns. Picture: Supplied</td></tr>
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The same could be done in South African swimming, particularly because there seems to never be a shortage of South African swimmers. More could be done by SSA to ensure that the most talented young swimmers in South Africa receive enough backing and training to reach their potential. </div>
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South Africa's medal winners should also receive sufficient support to be in a position to do well in more than one Olympic Games campaign. It would be a pity if 20 year old Chad le Clos or even Cameron van der Burgh have reached their pinnacle as Olympic swimmers. But reality is that besides Penny Heyns, no South African swimmer has won an Olympic medal in consecutive Games. </div>
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It is particularly alarming that no South African woman has won an Olympic medal since Penny Heyns won bronze at the 2000 Sydney Games. This is enough evidence to show that much work needs to be done in South African swimming. </div>
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<i>Soccer</i></div>
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The state of South African soccer deserves a blog post of its own. While Banyana Banyana, South Africa's women's soccer team, performed in their first Olympic Games in London, their male counterparts have failed to qualify for the last three Olympics. </div>
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The lack of success of the South African Under 23 men's soccer team echoes the rather forgettable decade South African men's soccer teams have had. The team failed to build from their debut showing at the Sydney Olympics and a lack of continuity and successful development structures on Safa's part have let the team down. South Africa has the best soccer infrastructure in Africa, but it all counts for nothing if players are not being developed in this environment. </div>
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The problems facing South African soccer have been largely attributed to the governing body, Safa. Although the current leadership of the organization is putting in place <a href="http://mg.co.za/article/2012-08-10-00-stumbling-safa-stuck-in-defence" style="color: lime;">measures</a> to rebuild South African soccer, immediate success is necessary in South African soccer. Banyana Banyana need to to receive sufficient backing to improve their performances in future Olympics. South Africa's Under 23 men's soccer team has to qualify for the Rio Olympics. Success in these and future international endeavours of South Africa's soccer teams can only be possible if young players are being developed in South African soccer structures and are graduating successfully to top level soccer.</div>
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<b>Optimism towards Rio 2016 </b></div>
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South Africa was the highest placed African country at the London Olympics medal standings. Placed higher than African giants Ethiopia and Kenya, South Africa is a leading African nation in Olympic sport. Performing well in continental and global sporting events, there is still much room for improvement for Team South Africa in the Olympics. Let 12 medals be the achievable short-term goal for the team in Olympic Games. Team South Africa should work harder and more effectively to make higher aspirations a possibility.</div>Litha Mpondwanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074546528757814860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6850844657735252496.post-87857094429538932272012-08-11T17:21:00.003-07:002012-08-11T23:38:00.220-07:00Team South Africa at the 2012 London Olympics: a new guard emerges<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Team South Africa can look back on the 2012 London Olympics with a sense of relief and optimism. After claiming just a solitary medal at the Beijing Olympics, the team managed to earn its highest medal tally since readmission. The six medals Team South Africa won were through performances of resilience and sheer talent. They also confirmed the arrival of a new generation of South African athletes who have the potential to be dominant in their respective sports.</div>
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The dismal performance of the South African team at the Beijing Olympics was hugely disappointing. In a team which featured world champions, world record holders, and leading performers in 2008, it was difficult to understand how the team returned with just one medal. But as the years progressed, there was optimism that South Africa would fare much better at the London Olympics for the following reasons:</div>
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<li>After the Beijing Olympics, there was a major overhaul in the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc). The new leadership emphasised new measures to ensure Team South Africa performs better in future Olympic Games;</li>
<li>South African teams performed well in events such as the 2009 Athletics World Championships;</li>
<li>A new generation of world class South African sportsmen and women emerged</li>
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Team South Africa was quite short of its target of winning 12 medals at the London Olympics. But those who won medals should raise optimism of the potential of South African athletes at the Olympics. Natural talent and resilience were not in short supply for these medal winners.</div>
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<b>Cameron van der Burgh (Gold - swimming: 100m men's breastroke WR)</b></div>
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After a consistent past four years, Cameron van der Burgh's crowning moment came when he broke<b> </b>the world record to claim gold in the 100 metres men's breastroke event. Van der Burgh initially made inroads in Short Course swimming events, where he has broken the world record three times. He subsequently began enjoying success in Long Course swimming, and was a favourite to claim gold at the Olympics.</div>
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Van der Burgh is a combination of a world class athlete who displays resilience and a natural flair to his game. Since participating and winning a bronze at the 2007 World Swimming Championships, he has progressed as a swimmer, becoming a force in both 50 and 100 metre breastroke events. At 24 years of age, he might possibly be past his peak when the Rio Olympics arrive in 2016. But van der Burgh started the changing of the guard in South African Olympic sport, with his emergence as a world class swimmer.</div>
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<b>Chad le Clos (Gold - swimming: 200m men's butterfly & Silver - 100m)</b></div>
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A more recent phenomenon in the world of swimming, Chad le Clos established himself as a leading swimmer at the London Olympics. Famously beating the legendary Michael Phelps to claim gold in the 200 metres butterfly event at the Games, one could argue that he is set to dominate this event in future. Since Phelps has now retired from competitive swimming, 20 year old le Clos has the opportunity to build on from his promise and enjoy more silverwear and possibly break world records.</div>
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Le Clos knows how to win medals. A prolific record at junior level, he caught the attention of the swimming world with his performances at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Winning two individual gold medals and five medals altogether, he was one of the most decorated swimmers at the games.</div>
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Le Clos is also very competitive in the individual medley events. Perhaps as he grows as a leading swimmer, we might see him compete in more individual events at the Rio Olympics. Unlike van der Burgh, le Clos has yet to reach the peak age of a swimmer. He has been touted as the next big swimmer in South Africa, and his performances at the London Games have justified this.</div>
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<b>The South African lightweight men's four (LM4-) rowing team (Gold)</b></div>
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Team South Africa rowers James Thompson, John Smith, Matthew Brittain and Sizwe Ndlovu were the epitome of resilience in their race to win gold at the London Olympics. In the final 500 metres of their<b><i> </i></b>winning race, the team moved from fourth position to claim gold. They rowed past the world's leading teams Denmark, Great Britain and Australia, to pull off an unlikely victory.</div>
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The team has enjoyed a good 2012, where they have only been beaten once, by China in the World Cup Regatta. They headed to the Olympics quietly confident of success. It says much about this team that despite their good form beforehand, their Olympic success is considered to be a surprise. </div>
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South Africa is not new in pulling off surprises in rowing at the Olympics. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, Donovan Cech and Ramon di Clemente won bronze in the Men's Coxless Pairs (M2-) in a highly competitive race. Considering the success of the rowing team in the London Olympics, there is potential for South Africa to do well in the event in future Games. Some of South Africa's leading schools and universities produce strong rowers and rowing teams. Most of South Africa's Olympic medallist rowers are products of them. <b><i> </i> </b></div>
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<b>Bridgitte Hartley (Bronze - K1: 500m</b>)</div>
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At the age of 29, Hartley is one of the oldest athletes amongst South Africa's London Olympic medallists. Her success at the sprint canoe event is inspirational. She has also <a href="http://www.sport24.co.za/OtherSport/Olympics2012/Hartley-hopes-to-inspire-20120811" style="color: lime;">shared</a><span style="color: lime;"> </span>similar sentiments, as she has traveled a tough road to becoming an Olympic medallist. </div>
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After being eliminated in the semi-finals of the Beijing Olympics pairs event, Hartley came back a more hardened and determined canoeist at this year's Olympics. Her emotions upon receiving her bronze medal echoed the relief and the tricky road she has been on in the sport. </div>
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Hartley has stated her wish for South African canoeing to receive more support in terms of infrastructure and finances. Like rowing, there could be more potential medallists waiting in the wings in South African canoeing, but they may be in need of a boost from this kind of support. </div>
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<b>Caster Semenya (Silver - athletics: 800m)</b></div>
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The flag bearer of a country at an Olympic Games Opening Ceremony is considered to be the best or most respected athlete of that particular team<b>. </b>Twenty one year old Semenya was South Africa's flag bearer in London, and this says a lot about the high regard in which she is held. </div>
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Showing good form in the qualifying rounds of the women's 800 metres, South Africans expected Semenya to win gold in the finals. But despite getting her tactics wrong, she managed to pass seven athletes in the final lap of the race to win a silver medal.</div>
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Amongst her competitors, she managed to get the loudest cheers from the crowd before her finals race and in the proceeding medal presentation ceremony. On the back of her performances at the London Olympics, she has gone from having the sympathy and ridicule of athletics supporters and fellow athletes, to making them remember the fine athlete she is. She is now embraced for her performances on the athletics track, and not for events which clouded her world championship winning performance in 2009. Considering the way in which she ran her final race at the London Olympics, she showed that she has not reached her potential. One can expect greater things from Semenya. </div>
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Carelessly described as a "controversial" athlete by a commentator before her race at the Olympic finals, Semenya is likely to live with the cloud of her ill-treatment in 2009. But her performances on the track, which can evidently improve even more, can catapult her to more success in future Olympic Games and elevate her to the status of an athletics 800 metres legend. <b> </b> </div>
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<b>So close, yet so far</b></div>
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Sacoc's aim for Team South Africa to win 12 medals may have not been satisfied, but they could have got even closer to that target. The most agonising miss for Team South Africa in terms of medals is javelin thrower Sunette Viljoen's fourth place finish in the women's javelin finals. A bronze medallist at the 2011 Athletics World Championships and a two-time Commonwealth Games champion, she was in good enough form to warrant a medal at the London Games. But a bad day at the office saw her slip down the standings after beginning the javelin finals with a good throw. </div>
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There was also a bad day for South Africa's only medallist at the Beijing Olympics. Khotso Mokoena was far from his best when he failed to get close to a medal position in the long jump finals. He has spoken of his intent to <a href="http://www.iol.co.za/sport/khotso-going-for-gold-in-rio-2016-1.1356445#.UCWqeKAzKuI" style="color: lime;">qualify </a>for the 2016 Rio Olympics, but time will tell if he can return to his best. One does not wish the same fate for him as was experienced by 32 year old former world 800 metres champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, who failed to qualify for the London Olympics. </div>
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South Africa should celebrate the success of its London Olympic medallists. The performances of Team South Africa in London have been a major improvement from their previous Olympic campaigns. But momentum should not be lost. There is a lot of potential in South African sport, and more work needs to be done to make Sascoc's medal aims in future Olympics become a reality. </div>
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<br /></div>Litha Mpondwanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17074546528757814860noreply@blogger.com0