South Africa’s Main Medal Prospects – Paris 2024 Olympics

South Africa will be represented by a strong and diverse team at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Below you can find some of Mzansi’s key athletes and their medal prospects based on recent performances.

Athletics

Wayde van Niekerk:

The world record holder in the 400m, van Niekerk is aiming to reclaim his Olympic crown. Although he missed the podium in Tokyo, his recent performances suggest he may be a medal threat in both the 400m and the 4x400m relay.

In the Oslo Bislett Games, he had a time of 44.38 seconds before setting a new meeting record in the Racers Grand Prix with a 44.21 time.

Akani Simbine: Odd at 19.00

Simbine narrowly missed a medal in Tokyo in the 100m, finishing fourth. He will be aiming to win South Africa’s first Olympic 100m medal since 1908.

The Kempton Park-born Simbine ran 9.97 seconds to finish sixth in the World Athletics Championships final. In the Diamond League in Lausanne, he clocked 9.99 seconds.

Swimming

Tatjana Schoenmaker: Odd at 9.00

After winning gold and silver in Tokyo, Schoenmaker is one of the top breaststrokers in the world. She will be a strong medal contender in the 100m and 200m breaststroke events.

In the World Aquatics Championships, Schoenmaker won gold in the 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:20.80. In the Commonwealth Games 2022, she won gold in the 200m breaststroke, clocking a time of 2:21.92.

Chad le Clos:

A former Olympic champion, le Clos will compete in the 100m butterfly. At the Luxembourg Euro Meet earlier this year, he competed in five events with his 100m butterfly time sitting at 51.79. He placed fifth in the 100m butterfly at the 2024 World Championships in Doha with a time of 51.48 seconds.

Notable Mentions:

Other possible medal winners are Jordy Smith in the Surfing event after he missed the Tokyo Olympics due to an injury.

In Golf, Christiaan Bezuidenhout is a consistent figure on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour, and he represents Mzansi’s best chance of a medal in this sport.

Caster Semenya has moved to the 5000m event after World Athletics’ testosterone regulations. She clocked a time of 15:31:50 at the South African Championships.

Zane Weir in the Shot Put event could also threaten the podium. He finished eighth in the World Athletic Championships but won Gold at the European Indoor Championships with a throw of 21.46 meters.

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis