THE ED ’ S DESK the ed ’ s desk by SEAN FALCONER
Sean Falconer
THE ED ’ S DESK the ed ’ s desk by SEAN FALCONER
Getting a Bit Loud Again !
In my Ed ’ s Letter of our previous edition , I wrote about the priceless memories I have of watching the Olympics through the years , and shouting at the television in excitement , as if me cheering all the way from South Africa could will our athletes on . I also wrote that I really hoped that the 2024 Olympics in Paris would produce a few more such memories for us South Africans fans . Well , all I can say is that my voice was a little hoarse after the men ’ s 4x100m relay , and I now have another priceless memory added to the list !
I went moggy when our guys went from fifth place to silver medallists in the home straight , and I reckon if the race had been a few metres longer , we may have taken the gold . And what a great story that 18-year-old schoolboy Bayanda Walaza was part of that team ! I can only imagine how he must have felt experiencing the Olympics , and a medal presentation ceremony , for the first time . Hopefully there will be more of both for him .
Even better , I am ecstatic that Akani Simbine has finally earned a richly-deserved Olympic medal , after coming so close at previous Games and then finishing fourth yet again in this year ’ s 100m final . His record is remarkably consistent at global meets , with three fourth place finishes and three fifth place finishes in Olympics and World Champs 100m finals , but that also saw him dubbed by some as the ‘ nearly man ’ of athletics . Well , now he has an Olympic medal at last .
More to Cheer About
To be honest , I didn ’ t shout nearly as much at the television when Jo-Ané van Dyk was busy with the women ’ s javelin final . The field events tend to be harder to follow through the television coverage , because the cameras jump intermittently from the main focus on the track events , to the various throwing and jumping events , and you don ’ t get to see every athlete in action , or every throw or jump . Also , because the field athletes often have a set number of throws or jumps , the competition can be turned on its head by the last athlete to ‘ go ,’ so one tends to quietly cross fingers and hope , rather than shout excitedly at the TV .
That said , when it became clear that Jo-Ané had clinched the silver medal , I let out a big “ Yes !” and excitedly called my fiancée to come watch as the athletes celebrated with flags and a lap of honour . Yes , I got a bit loud again then … sorry / not sorry to my fiancée . And our dogs and our cat . And the neighbours !
I also want to mention the exceptionally brave runs of Prudence Sekgodiso ( women ’ s 800m ) and Adrian Wildschutt ( men ’ s 10,000m ), which point to greater things to come in the near future . For Prudence , in particular , this experience of a first global final will have taught her so much about running at that level , and I think she is one to watch in coming years . I also want say well done to our marathon athletes , who mostly performed better than expected – see Norrie Williamson ’ s column for more on this . His analysis makes for fascinating reading , especially comparing expected times to actual times .
As I wrote last month , I don ’ t measure Olympic success purely on the medal count – it ’ s just not that simple . Olympic success is also about reaching finals , performing well under immense pressure , setting new personal bests on the biggest stage of all , and gaining invaluable experience ( especially for the younger athletes ). I therefore came away from these Olympics with genuine excitement about the next Olympic cycle and the chances of our athletes earning more medals in 2028 in Los Angeles .
Tuck Into the New Mag
On that note , we ’ ve got a sizable Olympic tribute in this edition , with some great images courtesy of World Athletics , and you ’ ll also find inspirational articles on Jenet Mbhele , Debbie Ivins and Suzette McIvor in an August edition dedicated to the fabulous women of the South African running community . Here ’ s wishing you all a wonderful Women ’ s Month , and all the best for the coming days and weeks of running .
Sean Falconer
Akani Simbine may have narrowly missed out in the 100m , but got his medal in the 4x100m
Images : Chris Hitchcock , Christel Saneh / World Athletics
6 ISSUE 171 | www . modernathlete . co . za