Dylan Bettencourt
Team South Africa finished the World Athletic Championships without a single medal to show for it for the first time since 2007.
Going into the event hosted in Oregon, United States, South Africa had very little hope for a gold medal, but ending without any medal at all seemed impossible.
That became an unfortunate reality on Sunday morning when South Africa finished sixth in the men’s 4x100m relay race.
However this will not go down as the country’s worst performance. Team SA secured four top eight finishes. That’s better than the four times South Africa managed only three top eights.
Medal hopefuls Wayde van Niekerk and Akani Simbine were unable to showcase their talents by claiming a podium place.
Van Niekerk, coming off an injury that has plagued his chances for several years, only managed fifth spot in the 400m final. The Olympic gold medalist remained hopeful about his chances at winning a medal in the future, however.
Simbine could not keep up with the American sprinters as he crossed the finish line in the 100m in fifth spot.
The sprinter ran the fastest of his teammates in the relay race on Sunday morning but it was not good enough for a medal.
The championships take place every two years and South Africa has won at least one medal in every event since 2007.
Caster Semenya made her 5,000m debut at the games, finishing 13th out of 16 runners, but she knew from the outset that she would not compete for medals.
Luxolo Adams showed potential in the 200m but failed to impress in the final.
South Africa can only hope to avenge their losses at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England which will get underway on Thursday, 28 July.
Image source: @TheCitizen
