[imagesource: Henri Szwarc/Bongarts/Getty Images]

As it stands, South Africa is still without a 2020 Olympic gold medal.

That could well change early tomorrow morning, when Tatjana Schoenmaker and Kaylene Corbett take to the pool for the women’s 200m breaststroke final.

Both won their semi-finals this morning, with Schoenmaker registering the quickest time, so South Africa will be hoping one of the women can claim gold.

That final starts at 3:41AM our time, if you’re up for an early start.

You’re here for a throwback, though, so let’s focus on a gold medal from 25 years ago.

Team South Africa claimed two silvers in 1992 (Elana Meyer in the women’s 10 000 metres, and the men’s doubles tennis pairing of Wayne Ferreira and Piet Norval), meaning the wait for a post-isolation gold medal continued.

In 1996, Penny Heyns won double gold (the women’s 100 and 200 metres breaststroke), but it is the story of marathon runner Josia Thugwane that we’ll focus on today.

Thugwane, who grew up a herd boy on his uncle’s farm in Bethal, Mpumalanga, before working in the mines, was actually shot five months before the Olympics, and overcame incredible obstacles just to turn up at the starting line on August 4, 1996.

From the 9:40 mark below, Thugwane pulls away from the pack, and at the 12:45 mark, he enters the stadium with a clear lead:

There are certain moments you never forget, and watching Thugwane’s celebrations as he crossed the finish line ranks right up there.

Sadly, the country did forget about him, and an ESPN article from 2015 outlined the hardships he faced in the decades after his win.

More recently, some corporate sponsors have stepped up. This video by Bridgestone from last year features the gold medallist recounting his life story, and what his iconic celebration meant:

New Frame has a superb article detailing Thugwane’s story, but I’ll just focus on one short passage:

A man of few words, he said that only months before he had lost all hope because of the hijacking of his bakkie. He dedicated the victory to Nelson Mandela and the newly enfranchised people of South Africa.

“His efforts to end apartheid made us all free,” said Thugwane. “Free to run.”

Here’s hoping we have a 2020 Olympic gold medal or two to look back on in years to come.

[source:newframe]