14 September 2016
MEDALS: 9
Gold: 3
Kevin Paul – Swimming
Hilton Langenhoven – Athletics
Charl du Toit – Athletics
Silver: 3
Ilse Hayes – Athletics
Ntando Mahlangu – Athletics
Anrune Liebenberg – Athletics
Bronze 3
Fanie van der Merwe – Athletics
Tyrone Pillay – Athletics
Zanele Situ – Athletics
Anrune claims silver
Anrune Liebenberg won silver in the Women’s 400m T47 final with a time of 58.88. Full report to follow.
Sithole just misses bronze and cyclists Van Dyk, Asher grab fifth
By Mark Etheridge
Tennis ace Lucas Sithole was just one game away from earning Team South Africa a bronze and their ninth Paralympic Games medal in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday!
Playing arch-rival David Wagner in the third/fourth place tie, Sithole was out of the blocks quickly, winning the first set 6-1 in just 26 minutes but the roles were reversed as Wagner won the second 6-2 in six minutes more action than the first stanza.
The third set saw Sithole 5-1 up and seemingly with that medal in his pocket but, Wagner who has dominated their previous meetings to the tune of 23-8, dug deep to clinch the final 50min set 7-5.
On to road cycling’s first action of the Games and the first time trial of the day saw Craig
Ridgard in C2 action and he ended 11th of 15 finishers. His time of 30min 19.03sec put him 2:36 behind gold medal winner Tristen Chernove of Canada.
Roxy Burns was scheduled to be next off in the C1-3 final (her fourth and final race) but was forced to withdraw on the race-day morning.
‘Hardest call ever. I’ve decided to withdraw. I had no appetite this morning and I can’t race on an empty stomach,’ said Burns.
Then it was on to the H5 men’s event where Ernst van Dyk was out to go close to his previous best Paralympic TT finish of fourth in Beijing back in 2008. He went close with a fifth spot in 29:26.31 as Alessandro Zanardi repeated his London win of four years ago winning in 28:36.81. On this occasion, on a pancake flat course and with the 41deg Celsius temperatures probably hot enough to back pancakes all day, Van Dyk just didn’t have it after 20 kilometres of all-out racing in an event which is not his favourite. That will come in Sunday’s road race, also on a flat course.
‘It was always going to be tough coming back into the wind pushing yourself to the limits… and it looks like I’m going to be stuck at fifth for the Paralympics time trial for now after London in 2012. Tomorrow’s road race will be more my thing but it’ll be be tough with all the corners and then there’s Sunday’s marathon.
‘I averaged out at just over 40kph.. I thought the winning time would be just over 42.
‘I must I say was very surprised with Stuart Tripp’s silver – a very impressive race behind all the technology that Alex has got on his bike.’
In the women’s H1-2-3 time trial Cape Town’s Justine Asher was up against it. After doing so well on the World Cup circuit she had to contend with the fact that a number of classes were combined and a complicated system used to determine the winner.
She ended up fifth with a time of 34:34.12.
‘I missed fourth by point one second. It was a tough race very windy and quite technical for me with the cornering. The class above me that I’m factored against are really strong. Feel disappointed I didn’t medal, but still really blessed to have experienced being part of the Paralympics… a dream come true.’
Picture of Van Dyk giving it his all courtesy of Wessel Oosthuizen/SASPA
Situ flies the flag for Team SA again as she brings home javelin bronze
By Mark Etheridge
And then there were eight! Paralympic veteran and team flag bearer Zanele Situ threw an eighth Team South Africa medal into the kitty at the Rio Paralympics on Tuesday evening.
Situ, 45, who is now experiencing her fifth Paralympics, having already medalled in Sydney (2000) and Athens four years later, took bronze in the F54 javelin final. The bronze came with her third throw of the night.
And making the moment even sweeter for Stellenbosch’s Situ was the fact that it was a personal best of 17.90m.
Kudos to coach Karin le Roux (pictured with Situ above) who had said in the run-in to these Games that Situ was showing close to her best form while tuning up at a few European meetings.
It was an African 1-2-3 in her event as Nigeria’s Flora Ugwuna took gold in a world record 20.25m, while Tunisia’s Hania Aidi also had a personal best with an 18.88m effort.
‘Wow, I didn’t really expect this,’ said a slightly shell-shocked Situ, who originally came from KwaZulu-Natal. ‘In this even you never know exactly where you stand with the different classes etc. Also there were quite a few new girls throwing.
‘I know the regulars but every Games you get new girls and you don’t know what they are capable of. When the Nigerial girl threw over 20m, I thought that was me out of contention but I just did my best to get a good throw early on otherwise if you leave it too late then the pressure gets to you and you make mistakes!’
Meanwhile in more feedback from Rio, F37 long jumper Andrea Dalle Ave spoke of his fifth place finish on Tuesday, the same result he brought back from London four years ago. ‘After having a bit of time to reflect on that competition, I’ve realised that I must be proud of myself. Although I’m disappointed in the distance jumped on the day, fifth in the world is still a fantastic achievement.
‘The competition itself was brutal, 40 degree temperature at noon, swirling wind and two world records being broken on the day.
‘So it was the most intense competition I’ve ever been in.’
Now it’s back to the books at University of Johannesburg for Dalle Ave for a two week break before he starts thinking of next year’s World Championships in London. Oh, and he’s also in the mix for the Gauteng Sports Awards Personality of the Year award where he’s up against Olympians Janine van Wyk (soccer) and Keagan Dolly (soccer) and cricket’s Kagiso Rabada. Away from the track and in dressage arena, four-time Paralympian Philippa Johnson-Dwyer ended seventh in the Individual Championship Test – Grade III Final, her and Lord Louis combining for a total of 69.390%.
Moving on to Wednesday’s action and there are five codes involving SA competitors, archery, athletics, canoeing, cycling and tennis.
In archery, Shaun Anderson came through qualifying unscathed and is now at the sharp end of the competition in the men’s individual compound (1/16 stage).
Back to track and field action and London Paralympic bronze medallist Ndodomzi Ntutu (better known as Jonathan) is in T12 heat action and 200m silver medallist Ntando Mahlangu goes off in the T42 100m heats. Two finals feature SA action, London Paralympics medallist Anruné Liebenberg in the T47 400m final and shot putter Zandile Nhlapo in the F34 class.
The sole canoeist in action is Graham Paull in the KL1 200m heats but more on him in a later story.
And then road cycling swings into action with no less than six South Africans in action, including the team’s two track specialists Roxy Burns and Dane Wilson.
The team’s cycling manager, Ricky Kulsen was at the course inspection and said: The course is very technical with a tight corner just 150m from the finish. In the road race the first three riders through the corner will contest the medals in my opinion, with a fourth rider maybe having an outside chance for bronze.
‘I think Ernst van Dyk and Justine Asher are our mai medal hopes for the time trial and road race.
‘The TT and road course for handcycles are pan flat. No hills at all but the wind might be a factor. The course is a bit technical. That tight corner at the finish might change after the technical meeting as quite a few teams were complaining.’
With seven Paralympics now under his belt, Van Dyk has seen it all and reckons the wind will play a big role. ‘The course itself is very simple with a few technical turns. The biggest factor will be the prevailing wind coming off the ocean and as we’ve experienced over the last 19 days it can be anything from a pleasant ocean breeze to something rather unpleasant.
‘I’m feeling as good as can be. I’ve never medalled at Paralympic level in the TT, having placed fourth in Beijing and fifth in London. It’s a difficult event to gauge how hard you are going and reaching deep within yourself and turning yourself inside out to push to the limit.
‘It’s just you and the clock. We don’t often TT over 20km so it adds a measure of endurance which we have worked hard at. I predict that to be in the medals on this course one would need to average over 43kph if there isn’t a lot of wind. It’s a lot to ask for but we’ve worked on it and I feel I might just have it in me.
‘After Wednesday we’ll line up for the road race on Sunday where I’m a lot more comfortable and I’d say that would be my main event for these Games.’
Fifth and final code in action brings another medal chance to Team SA as Lucas Sithole takes on American David Wagner in the quad singles bronze medal match. He goes into the match with an 8-23 record against Wagner, a four-time Paralympics champion and will hope to reverse that record to some extent!
Going into Wednesday’s action Team SA had slipped down the medals table, from 19th to 23rd.
Paralympian Paull set to dig deep and race to his full potential
By Mark Etheridge
Teams South Africa’s only canoeist in Rio Graham Paull makes his Paralympic Games debut on Wednesday following two ICF Para-Canoeing World Championships appearances and an A Final in the men’s KL1 200m event at the 2015 World Champs means he has set his sights on a strong performance.
Paull ended fifth in the A Final at the World Championships in 2015 finishing under a second outside of the top three however despite ending so close to a medal he is not putting any podium pressure on himself heading into Wednesday’s heats.
‘I am not setting myself too higher expectations and I am just looking to race to my full potential throughout the Games,’ said Paull.
‘Paddling a personal best on the biggest stage possible is definitely my main goal and if that gets me into the top five then I’ll be incredibly happy with my effort but I’m just really excited to get out there and race!’
The sprint course in Rio came under scrutiny during the Olympic Games last month due to issues involving side winds and weed that interfered with paddler’s rudders and paddles however Paull is not letting those sentiments get the better of him as he looks forward to competition.
‘I am feeling strong and I am ready to race on the course although it is different to anything that I have competed on before. Being from the Highveld I’ve never raced in salt water which is different but the set-up for the course seems quite similar to my training base at Roodeplaat Dam so there are some similarities for me to fall back on.
‘There seems to be a constant cross wind on the course and I have trained for this so I hope that the wind does blow on competition day because I have planned a lot of training with that in mind. Other than that the course is great and I am really looking forward to getting out there and doing my thing!’ a focused Paull mentioned.
Staying out of harm’s way before an event is a priority for athletes as they want to be on top of their game going into their discipline and with his first step towards Paralympic glory coming up Paull feels he is in the right frame of mind mentally as well as physically ready for the challenge ahead. ‘I’ve been working incredibly hard back home and getting myself into the best possible shape has been important and I am feel strong and I am ready to go!
‘Now I am just excited to see how all the hard work pays off over the next few days!’ he said excitedly.
SUPERSPORT Coverage
SuperSport will broadcast two 24-hour channels (SS13 and SS14) in High Definition for the duration of the Games with producers choosing the best of four feeds from Olympic Broadcast Services. What isn’t broadcast live will be broadcast on a delayed basis.
The popular Blitz channel will carry regular Paralympic news items, while the two TV channels will be available via streaming via www.supersport.com and the SuperSport and DStv Now apps, as well as social platforms and DStv Catch Up.
Daily two-hour highlights packages will be scheduled on SS Select and SS9.
TEAM SA APP for Paralympics.
Following on from the Olympic Games, Team SA has its own App for all South African sports supporters wanting to follow Team SA athletes at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Loads of information can be found on the very easy to navigate App, bringing you results, competition schedules, athlete profiles, images and videos of the athletes plus more.
The App is free, users can download the App and it’s available globally. https://itunes.apple.com/za/app/teamsarise/id1133481695?mt=8 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details…
Support your team and keep up to date on daily sporting events in Rio with #TeamSArise mobile.
Results from Wednesday 14 September 2016
SWIMMING:
No swimming today.
ATHLETICS:
Ndodomzi Ntutu 100m T12 (finished 1st in his heat, 11.10 and progresses to the semi finals) Ntando Mahlangu 100m T42 (finished 3rd in heat 3, time of 12.70 and progresses to semi finals) Zandile Nhlapo Shot Put F34 (finished 8th, with a best throw of 5.63m)
11.26pm Anrune Liebenberg 400m T47 (SILVER in a time of 58.88)
TENNIS:
Lucas Sithole – Quad mixed singles Bronze medal match WT20-21 (beaten by American David Wagner 1-6, 6-2, 5-7 and finished 4th)
CANOEING:
Graham Paull – Men’s Kayak single KL1 200m (Graham was disqualified and as such did not progress to the semi finals. The disqualification was related to a weight issue with his boat as his boat was under weight by 0.02kg rounded up to 0.05kg)
CYCLING:
Craig Ridgard – Road Time trial C2 (finished 11th, time of 30:19.03) Roxy Burns – Road Time trial C1-3 (withdrew due to illness)
1.00pm Ernst van Dyk – Road time trial H5 (finished 5th, time 29:26.31) 1.00pm Justine Asher – Road time trial H2-3 (finished 5th, time 34:34.12) Road time trial C5 (finished 14th, time of 44:17.59)
Goldy Fuchs – Road time trial T1-2 (finished 9th, time of 26:42.02))
ARCHERY:
Shaun Anderson – Men’s individual compound – open 1/16 (lost to Nathan Macqueen of GBR 129-144)
Athletes in action on Thursday 15 September 2016
(All times listed below are for South Africa) Day 8 – 15 September
SWIMMING:
Heats:
3.52pm Henri Herbst – 100m Freestyle S11 00.12am Henri Herbst – 100m Freestyle S11 (finals)
01.36am Henri Herbst – potential medal presentation 100m Freestyle S11
ATHLETICS:
3.45pm Reinhardt Hamman Javelin F38 (final) 3.45pm Zandile Nhlapo Shot Put F34 (final)
Heats:
4.45pm Charl du Toit 400m T37 (heats)
5.36pm Reinhardt Hamman – potential medal ceremony – Javelin F38 5.43pm Louzanne Coetzee 1500m T11 (heats)
10.58pm Chenelle van Zyl Shot Put F35 (final) 11.10pm Ndodomzi Ntutu – 100m T12 (final) 11.15pm Dyan Buis – Long Jump T38 (final) 11.17pm Ntando Mahlangu – 100m T42 (final) 11.33pm Anrune Liebenberg – 200m T47 (heats)
00.08am Ndodomzi Ntutu – potential medal ceremony – 100m T12 00.16am Ntando Mahlangu – potential medal ceremony – 100m T42 00.40am Chenelle van Zyl – medal ceremony Shot Put F35 01.30am Dyan Buis – potential medal ceremony – Long Jump T38
CYCLING:
2.30pm Ernst van Dyk – Men’s road race H5 (final)
4.30pm Ernst van Dyk – Men’s road race H5 (potential medal presentation) 5.20pm Justine Asher – Women’s road race H2-4 (final)
9.15pm Justine Asher – Women’s road race H2-4 (potential medal presentation)
Watch video clips of our athletes on the links below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OqCL7nyPoE&feature=em-share_video_user
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIsLKSKzdxk&feature=em-share_video_user
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bt6RMz9tI04&feature=em-share_video_user
Twitter Support:
We look forward to updating you on the performance of our team! For more on the team update please visit our media pages.
MEDIA: Website: www.sascoc.co.za Twitter: @TeamSA16. #teamSArise Facebook – ‘Team South Africa’ Mobile App: TeamSArise
YouTube channel: SASCOCSA
