Swimmers lead SA’s medal quest
|Published
All eyes will be on South Africa's swimming sensation Chad Le Clos as he starts his Olympic campaign. All eyes will be on South Africa's swimming sensation Chad Le Clos as he starts his Olympic campaign.
By the time the first real day of Olympic action is over South Africans will have a better idea as to whether young swimming sensation, Chad le Clos, will be the poster boy for London 2012, or if we will have to wait for Rio to see him wearing gold.
Today the Games have their first full day of action and for South African supporters there is plenty of action, but only a limited selection of the competitors are in with a chance of medal glory.
Le Clos is one of those with the potential to win medals – and because he is entered into seven events, the 20 year old could be the Michael Phelps of 2012 and a huge superstar.
But despite his incredible World Cup feats last year, there is a question mark over whether he can step up and continue on his world-beating ways once the big names, such as 14-time Olympic gold medal winner Phelps, are in the adjoining lanes.
Today he starts his Olympic quest with one of his favoured races, the 400m individual medley, and if all goes well he will end the day a big step closer to greatness in 2012.
Joining Le Clos in the 400IM will be Riaan Schoeman, while Kathryn Meaklim has an outside chance of stealing some of the glory in the equivalent women’s event.
While the medley swimmers are trying to make their names, one of the best prospects for a South African medal, Cameron van der Burgh, will be quietly hoping to do little more than swim times fast enough to go through to the final.
He has his heats and semi-finals of the 100m breaststroke today, with what he hopes is a medal-yielding final scheduled for tomorrow evening.
The final swimmer in action will be Herman Heerden in the 400m freestyle.
Outside the pool, things do not look too bright for Team South Africa today with many of those in action simply hoping to remain in the competition.
The women’s soccer team will be fighting for survival in their match against Canada, while the doubles badminton duo of Michelle Edwards and Annari Viljoen have a tough opener against South Koreans Je Ha and MJ Kim and beach volleyballers Freedom Chiya and Grant Goldschmidt will have an even more difficult encounter with USA’s Jacob Gibb and Sean Rosenthal.
The two rowing crews will look to build on promising recent World Cup races and so the men’s lightweight fours and women’s pair of Michelle Edwards and Annari Viljoen should go through from their respective heats.
Two South Africans who will be in the centre of lots of attention for different reasons are eventing rider Alex Peternell and cyclist Daryl Impey.
Impey faces the tough task of trying to outsmart the potent British road team that includes Tour de France stars in winner and runner up Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome and the rider with the most Tour stage victories in top sprinter Mark Cavendish.
Peternell will be happy to be the centre of anything, even if it is negative attention. His success was simply to be at the Games after he caused a rumpus in the team because he fought for what he believed was his right to be selected.
The International Court for Arbitration of Sport agreed with him and Paul Hart was replaced for the equestrian eventing competition.