Its because they bring out the best and yes, I’m shattered. Blitzbokke and our RWC champs Bokke are in the same ‘WhatsApp group’ so goes the cliché.
Although their opening against the visiting British and Irish Lions tour did not begin as expected, one thing for sure they will bounce back. I bet my last rand on our Springboks, struu!
Back to Olympics, the Blitzbokke will be joined on the same flight back home in the company of Under23s football team that lost three of their games. The less said about their performance the better!
On a positive note though, SA swimmers and surfers have shown we can conquer despite the challenges back here at home.
Talk of positivity (we do need that injection) in comes record-breaker star Akani Simbine.
The world No.2 is bidding to become the first SA competitor to make the Games 100m podium since 1908‚ as he storms into action in the first round of competition on Saturday‚ with the semifinals and final on Sunday, according to SowetanLive.
He was quoted as having said I will “be very dangerous” if he runs the perfect race at the Tokyo Olympics at the weekend.
“I feel like an actual competitor for a medal‚” said the 28-year-old Commonwealth Games champion‚ who has been in the top five of the world since 2016. He was stung after finishing fourth at the 2019 world championships.
“In Rio I just felt like a young athlete that was just going there for the experience and just going there to run and see how far I can get in the rounds.
“But it’s changed now‚ you know. I’m a different athlete‚ I’ve matured as a sprinter‚ I’ve learned a lot through the years‚ I learned a lot through the game.
“It’s an exciting time and we’re looking forward to the weekend.”
The key in Japan will be executing all elements of the race correctly.
“I’m looking to do the best I can … I know that we can be very dangerous if we run a clean race and we run a perfect race and it’s just looking to running the best race that we can.
“It’s just a matter of making sure that every race that I run this week is as perfect as it can be and as clean as it can be‚” added Simbine‚ one of three SA sprinters in the field‚ alongside Gift Leotlela and Shaun Maswanganyi.
Now that’s a real deal talking here.
Let’s go boys and make mzansi proud like our swimmers and surfers- we need those MEDALS…
Image (World champ Akani Simbine aims to break records at the 2020 Olympics).
