By Alicia Mmashakana
THE 33rd Olympic Games ended with a final lavish ceremony after a remarkable two-and-a-half weeks of competition filled with tears and cheers.
After the dust had settled, Team South Africa walked away with six medals, double the number of medals from the previous 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Swimmer Tatjana Smith dominated the Paris Olympics, becoming the only South African to win a gold medal in the 100m breaststroke.
Here’s the following Team SA medalists:
Tatjana Smith – Gold and Silver
She took gold in the women’s 100m breaststroke and silver in the women’s 200m. This was also the last time we see Smith competing professionally, as she announced her retirement after the Games.
Blitzboks – Bronze
The South African Sevens Rugby Team won the first medal for Team SA. The guys won the bronze after Shaun Williams scored well in the final hooter playoff against Australia, winning 26-19.
Alan Hatherly – Bronze
Alan Hatherly received a bronze medal for finishing third in the Men’s Cross-Country Cycling Mountain Bike. He became the first South African and African Olympic mountain bike medalist at the Olympics since the country’s re-admission in 1992.
Men’s 4×100 relay team – Silver
The team included Akani Simbine (30), Shaun Maswanganyi (23), Sinesipho Dambile (22), Bradley Nkoana (19), and Bayanda Walaza (18).
South African sprinter Akani Simbine ran an incredible anchor to help Team SA win silver in the men’s 4x100m relay.
Jo-Ane van Dyk – Silver
Van Dyk helped Team South Africa win silver in the women’s javelin final with the second-best throw.
Van Dyk threw an exceptional distance, achieving a personal best effort of 63.93 metres in the third round.
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