How Team SA Performed at The Paralympics on Wednesday

The Paralympic classification system can be tricky, and that was clear when Mpumelelo Mhlongo broke the world record in the T44 long jump at the Stade de France but still finished in fifth place. Mhlongo, who already held the world record at 7.07m, competed against athletes in the T62 and T64 classes. Mhlongo improved his own record to 7.12m.

On Wednesday, Team South Africa secured two more bronze medals at the 2024 Paralympics. Pieter du Preez, in the men’s H1 individual cycling time trial, and the wheelchair tennis quad doubles team of Donald Ramphadi and Lucas Sithole, both came through in style to bring Team SA’s total medal count to four.

WHEELCHAIR TENNIS
Men’s Quad Doubles – BRONZE MEDAL MATCH
Team SA’s doubles duo, Donald Ramphadi and Lucas Sithole, defeated their Brazilian competitors in three sets (6–2; 4–6; [10]–[8]) to win South Africa’s fourth medal — a bronze — finishing in third position overall.

PARA CYCLING ROAD
Men’s Individual Time Trial – H1 (FINAL)
Team SA’s Pieter du Preez secured South Africa’s third medal — a bronze — after finishing in third position.

PARA SWIMMING
Women’s 100m Freestyle – S12 – Heats
Team SA’s Alani Ferreira finished eighth in her morning heat. Unfortunately, her time was outside of the top eight fastest finishers, which would have qualified her for the final.

Men’s 50m Freestyle – S7 – Heats
Team SA’s Christian Sadie finished seventh in the evening final, setting a new African record. Christian qualified for the final after placing fourth in his morning heat with one of the eight fastest times.

PARA EQUESTRIAN
Individual Event – Grade IV (FINAL)
Team SA’s Philippa Johnson-Dwyer finished the competition in 14th position.

PARA ATHLETICS
Men’s Shot Put – F46 – FINAL
Team SA’s Kerwin Noemdo concluded the competition in fifth position.

Men’s Long Jump – T64 – FINAL
Team SA’s Mpumelelo Mhlongo set a new T44 World Record with a jump of 7.12m, placing him fifth in the T64 competition.

Women’s 100m – T37 – Round 1 Heats
Team SA’s Sheryl James finished third in her heat, earning automatic qualification for the Thursday morning final

Not-so-delusional Maseti set to break new ground for SA cycling in Paris

By Karien Jonckheere

Miyanda Maseti wants to be an Olympic champion.

She already knew that when, as a plucky seven-year-old, she watched two-time Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya on TV.

“If somebody told me then that I would be an Olympian, I would’ve accepted it way easy,” reckoned Maseti with a laugh. “I was a delusional seven-year-old so I would’ve been like ‘I already knew that’.”

Sure enough, 11 years later, the BMX star’s name was among those announced as part of Team South Africa heading to the Paris Olympic Games next month.

“I guess seven-year-old me wasn’t so delusional,” she added.

Maseti will become the first South African woman to represent the country in BMX racing at the Olympic Games since the sport was added to the programme in 2008.

“I’m not even going to lie to you, I think I’m more nervous than excited,” she admitted from her training base in the Netherlands, where she will stay until the start of the Games. “This is the Olympics and I need to show why I’ve made it there.”

While the dream of becoming Olympic champion may be a more realistic one for the next Games in 2028, Maseti is determined to impress in the French capital. “My goal in Paris is to do my best and be my best while I’m there,” she explained. “To achieve this goal I need to get myself in the right place to compete at my best ability.

“In order to be good at BMX it takes effort, time, consistency and fun. You will only want to get better if you’re enjoying it.”

Fun it’s certainly been for Maseti, having first climbed on a bike at the age of four because her brother was riding – and eventually racing against boys to make sure she continued to improve.

“I love how fun it is to learn a new skill,” explained the six-time national champion. “I love how much joy it brings. I love the intensity. I love the confidence it gives and I love the lessons it teaches.

“I wish that people knew that BMX isn’t as harmful as people think. Everyone is so afraid to fall, but it’s a part of life. Why not fall, doing something you enjoy?”

Catch Maseti on 1 and 2 August when she’ll be in action at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines BMX Stadium in Paris.