Ken Borland

Grace Hughes is the chief physiotherapist of the South African Paralympics team and, on the eve of the team’s departure, she was telling the media how well-prepared, fit and strong the squad are.

“I can tell you that we’ve had them all in my office doing special neck-strengthening exercises … “ she said … “because I’m honestly worried about how they’re going to cope with all those medals around their necks!”

It was a moment of humour that is typical of the Paralympics squad. The people who have the most to be unhappy about are some of the most joyous, inspiring people around, and “the pressure of expectation” seems to be a totally foreign concept for those for whom just playing sport is a major achievement.

But Hughes is right, South Africa are in line for plenty of medals at the Paralympics, which start in London on August 29.

South Africa’s 66 competitors won 30 medals in Beijing in 2008, 21 of them gold, to finish sixth in the final standings and will be looking to improve on that in London.

“I think 40 medals is possible, but our main aim is to maintain or improve on our sixth place overall in Beijing,” Sascoc CEO Tubby Reddy says.

Some of the greatest Paralympians of all time – most notably Oscar Pistorius and Natalie du Toit – are in Team South Africa and there will be a steward’s inquiry if they don’t come home with at least a couple of gold medals.

Seventeen-year-old Marike Naude is a rising star in the world of swimming and is competing in six events. There are high hopes for her, especially since she could be re-classified in London into an easier disability group.

Charles Bouwer is going to his third Paralympics and is also going to swim in six events, while looking to repeat his performance in the 2010 world championships, when he won silver in the 400m freestyle.

“I started in Athens when I was a 14-year-old and I thought I would stop in Beijing, so it’s unbelievable to be going to a third Paralympics,” Bouwer says.

The visually-impaired 22-year-old went to Pescara in Italy to train with the able-bodied Olympic swimmers and is clearly not one to back down from competition.

“Swimming six events in the S13 class, there’s going to be a lot of competition. But why go to an event and just win everything? It’s great to have the challenge,” Bouwer says.

Other swimmers to keep an eye on are the versatile Hendrick Herbst, 100m breaststroke veteran Tadgh Slattery, competing in an astonishing sixth Paralympics, Beijing world record setter Kevin Paul and Shireen Sapiro, who won gold in the 100m backstroke in Beijing.

Pistorius, given the fact that he is one of the top 16 400 metre runners in the world, should murder the opposition in the one-lap race, but he will have strong competition in the 100, 200 and 800 metre races.

Other hot athletics medal contenders are Dyan Buis, Hilton Langenhoven, who burst on the scene so spectacularly in 2008 with three gold medals, sprinters Fanie van der Merwe, Arnu Fourie and Teboho Mokgalagadi , Ilse Hayes (100m & long jump) and experienced javelin thrower Zanele Situ.

“The bulk of our medals tend to come from athletics and swimming and everybody who has been selected in the team has medal potential. It’s a very difficult team to get into,” Chef de Mission Pieter Badenhorst says.

“But in terms of new stars after Beijing, we have high hopes for Dian Buys, who is the world record-holder in the long jump, and Teboho Mokgalagadi.

“It’s notoriously difficult to predict how many medals we’ll get and the medals table is so congested and that one gold can make the difference between finishing fifth and 13^th. Russia and Brazil have invested quite a lot now in their Paralympians and it will be hard to predict how they’ll do. But we have prepared as best we can,” the 1992 gold medallist in the 400m sprint says.

Team South Africa are also hoping for some medals from the other “smaller” sports they are competing in – cycling, equestrian, rowing, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis.

Cycling, with world champion Ernst van Dyk leading the way, and equestrian sports, featuring double gold-winner Philippa Johnson, are genuine medal hopes, while South Africa’s top wheelchair tennis player, KG Montjane, is in the top 10 of the world rankings.

South Africans are only just starting to fully embrace the Olympics after all those years of isolation, and it might yet take a while for the Paralympians to be fully appreciated.

But sports minister Fikile Mbalula has the right idea.

“Our Paralympians have led from the front and have never disappointed us. I stand here ashamed that the country has never given you the rightful credit.

“So bring that gold back that was stolen from our motherland. I don’t know if we’re going to nationalise it, but we want it back,” Mbalulu told the Paralympics farewell banquet in Sandton.

Cameron van der Burgh said the Olympic athletes “should take notes” from their disabled compatriots for the many challenges they overcome just to have the opportunities the able-bodied sportspeople take for granted.

The gold-winning swimmer said his most inspirational moment of the Olympics was seeing Pistorius get more applause than Usain Bolt; but Mbalulu may have been just a little over-enthusiastic when he described the Blade Runner as “the greatest human on earth”.

That’s what the Paralympics are about: sportsmen and women overcoming the stiffest of challenges just to compete on the biggest stage. The medals are a bonus, but something South Africans can certainly expect.

South Africa saw off Argentina 27-6 at Newlands on Saturday, but the Springboks praised the Pumas for making a solid debut in the Rugby Championship.

“Argentina belong in this company and they will be tough to beat. Today was a stepping stone for them,” Springbok captain Jean de Villiers told a news conference after his team had outscored the Pumas by three tries to nil, but had only scored seven points in the second half.

South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer said the other teams in the southern hemisphere tournament – New Zealand and Australia – should not underestimate newcomers Argentina.

“Full credit to them. They were right on the advantage line. People underestimate Argentina and they play great rugby, they are going to do well in the tournament. Those 15 opponents in blue made it impossible for us to get four tries and the bonus point,” Meyer said.

The Argentina captain and coach were mindful of the fact that they are going to need to improve if they are to beat one of the southern hemisphere giants in the Rugby Championship, and they were both disappointed by the Pumas’ error count at Newlands.

“For us, it is difficult to come to play the Springboks, but our mistakes gave them scoring opportunities. We made too many penalties in the fir^st half and some balls were lost which South Africa turned to points. And it was difficult to leave our own part of the field.

“We didn’t do so well, but being our first game, we are happy with the performance. We need to improve a lot of things, but the players gave 100% and that is what we had wanted,” coach Santiago Phelan said.

“It was a good first step, we honestly realised how intense this type of rugby is. We can look at ourselves proudly as we gave everything, it was very intense.

“Today was a good step and we are proud to be in this tournament. Five more games and if we use them and keep on giving everything, if we improve, then we will be happy,” captain Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe said.

The Pumas were particularly good at the rucks on Saturday and the Springboks struggled to gain continuity from their front-foot ball thanks to the determination of the visitors.

“Our kicking game was better than against England and we got in the right areas of the field, but at the breakdown we didn’t get the recycling we wanted,” Meyer said. “We missed Bismarck du Plessis – he is the leader of the pack. We need to be more physical in the breakdown.”

The physical and combative Du Plessis, the form hooker in SuperRugby, left the field after just four minutes with a knee injury.

Both Meyer and De Villiers praised the character of flyhalf Morne Steyn, whose response to the harsh criticism he received after the England series was a faultless performance with the boot and a key hand in two of the Springboks’ three tries.

South Africa used their trademark forward charges to douse a determined Argentina debut and win their Rugby Championship match 27-6 (half-time 20-6) at Newlands on Saturday.

The Springbok pack did not yield in defence against the massive Argentina forwards and their strong ball-carriers won enough momentum for them to dominate both territory and possession.

Flyhalf Morne Steyn enjoyed a marvellous return to form as he steered South Africa to victory, his influence ranging from faultless goal-kicking that brought him three conversions and two penalties, to precise field-kicking that set up wing Bryan Habana’s try and slick handling that led to fullback Zane Kirchner’s opening try.

The Springboks also had a first-half try from flank Marcell Coetzee and, given their convincing lead at half-time, they will be disappointed that they did not claim a bonus point from the match for scoring four tries.

Argentina’s points came from two penalties by flyhalf Juan Martin Hernandez, but they could not capitalise on plenty of possession from turnovers, and struggled to escape from their own territory when under pressure in their first match in the tournament that includes the top three countries in the IRB rankings in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

Two incisive attacks down the left and right flanks by wings Habana and Lwazi Mvovo set up an early penalty for the Springboks by Steyn, but the home side were rocked at the same time by the loss of their star hooker, Bismarck du Plessis, with a knee injury. But his replacement, 26-year-old Adriaan Strauss, held his own on his 13th appearance at test level.

Argentina then held on to the ball well, but they could not make headway against the steely Springbok defence at close quarters, forcing Hernandez to launch a pinpoint up-and-under. Kirchner initially claimed the ball, but centre Santiago Fernandez ripped it off the fullback, who then played the ball while lying on the ground, gifting Hernandez a penalty to level the scores at 3-3 after 14 minutes.

But the Pumas failed to control the kickoff, giving South Africa a scrum in their 22. The Springboks were awarded a free kick after an early engagement by Argentina and Steyn drifted away from his marker before passing to Kirchner, who was cutting inside and stepped past two tacklers to score.

Steyn’s sweetly-struck conversion made it 10-3 to the hosts and Argentina, who fell foul of referee Steve Walsh’s whistle in the first half due to their ill-discipline, then gifted another three points to the prolific flyhalf after Sharks wing Mvovo was tackled in the air while taking a high ball, leading to a lineout in Pumas territory, at which they were trapped offsides.

Argentina continued to concede penalties and South Africa used rolling mauls to good effect before one of them brought a try as Coetzee broke blind and charged over the line.

Steyn’s convincing form with the boot continued as he kicked the touchline conversion to give the Springboks control with a 20-3 lead.

Hernandez kicked a penalty before the break and closed the gap to 20-6 after Strauss rushed up too enthusiastically and was caught offsides.

But any hopes Argentina had of getting back in the game were dashed when Hernandez (2) and centre Marcelo Bosch missed three penalties between them in the opening six minutes of the second half.

The scare served to reinvigorate the Springboks as they piled on the pressure, pinning the Pumas in their own half.

A knock-on by wing Gonzalo Camacho gave South Africa a scrum in the Argentina 22, which the visitors collapsed. The Springboks set the lineout and a rolling maul, before Steyn launched a crossfield kick to Habana on the right wing, who leapt high to claim the ball and plunge over the tryline.

Steyn again converted from the touchline, but their hopes of claiming a fourth try and the bonus point in the last 23 minutes were dashed by Argentina’s ability to steal turnovers and some unforced errors on their own behalf.

The debutants had left no one in the 39 000-strong crowd in any doubt about their passion, but their lack of attacking weapons meant they never really threatened the Springboks.

Scorers

South Africa – Tries: Zane Kirchner, Marcell Coetzee, Bryan Habana. Conversions: Morne Steyn (3). Penalties: M. Steyn (2).

Argentina – Penalties: Juan Martin Hernandez (2).

Habits that they have had since childhood will now be put aside as South African swimming gold medallists Chad le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh get used to their changed lives after the London Olympic Games.

The pair of Olympic champions returned to Johannesburg early on Thursday morning to a tumultous welcome and tried to make sense of their achievements in a press conference with sports minister Fikile Mbalula that was broadcast live on all three of South Africa’s main television stations.

“I woke up on the plane this morning and was turning on my phone and I had to put my pin number in. That’s when I realised that since the age of 10 I’ve been using 2012 as my pin number. But now that I’ve won gold in the 2012 Olympics, I’ve achieved that goal and, for the first time in 14 years, I’ll have to change my pin!” Van der Burgh, the winner of the 100m breaststroke in a world record time of 48.46 seconds, said.

Le Clos snatched gold in the final stroke of the 200m butterfly from American Michael Phelps, who has retired as the most successful Olympian in history with 18 golds and 22 medals overall, and the 20-year-old from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal said he was still coming to terms with beating his hero.

“It was a very special Olympic Games for me, and the last time I race against Michael Phelps. He is such an inspiration for me and the last time we met before the Olympics, I was asking him for hundreds of photos and his caps and goggles! I’m still a great fan of his and it was the most overwhelming feeling to beat him. It just shows that you should never give up on your dreams, no matter how far behind you are in the race,” Le Clos said.

Both swimmers committed themselves to ensuring South Africa build on their London success and win more medals in the pool at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. Le Clos added a silver medal in the 100m butterfly to lift South Africa to fifth in the table, ahead of aquatics powerhouses such as Australia and Russia.

“Chad and I spoke about it on the flight from London and we have the opportunity to change South African swimming, we really want to take swimming forward. South Africa only has five or six thousand registered swimmers, while Australia and Germany have 150 000 and the USA 300 000. But we still finished in the top five. There’s such a field of talent here, we just need to refine it better, we need to keep this momentum going and not kill it,” Van der Burgh said.

“In 2016, we’ll obviously have targets on our back, which means more responsibility and added pressure for us. But that just makes me excited to get back in the pool and train harder,” Le Clos said.

“There’s a lot of potential for 2016 and the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and we need to keep the momentum going. We have the platform now to build and we’ve changed the way people perceive swimming. We need to keep it going, let’s do this!”

South Africa’s head swim coach, Graham Hill, said he expected more success in 2016.

“We’ve only just begun and in 2016 these two young guys will be well and truly prepared, plus there’s a lot of young talent that wasn’t at these Olympic Games. So it all looks good for the future,” Hill said.

Van der Burgh also brushed off criticism that his mode of swimming the breaststroke included extra illegal “dolphin kicks” under the water.

“Unfortunately I’ve been the victim of some Australian press. I’ve never been disqualified or even warned once in my career and there were six different judges watching me in all my races from the heats to the final. They’re not there for a holiday and I was cleared,” Van der Burgh said.

With hundreds of supporters at the airport just after sunrise to welcome the swimmers home, even though it was a public holiday (Women’s Day) in South Africa, the air was thick with jubilation and Mbalula pledged further government support for swimming.

“We have got to prioritise going into the next Olympics and it begins tomorrow. We cannot plough money where we get no results, but swimming always delivers, even when all else fails. Government has got to come to the party and support young children who want to swim in Gugulethu or Mitchell’s Plain [deprived former apartheid townships].

“The media and public must put pressure on government to invest in sport, so we can compete with Australia and their 20-year sports plan. We did that easily at these Olympics with zero budget,” Mbalula said.